Trail of Letters
by heliotrip
Summary: When Naru's identity is on the verge of being exposed, various, powerful parties begin to express an unhealthy interest in his abilities. As the situation unfolds, all of them become entangled in an unsavory dance of clashing interests involving the very nature of psychic affairs in the world.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** This story begins immediately following the events of Akumu no Sumu Ie (The Nightmare Dwelling), at Agawa Midori and Reiko's house, and features several characters from that arc.

Canonically, the story is based on the novels, so there might be minor inconsistencies with the anime and manga. The biggest differences relevant to this story might be Takahashi Yuuko, or Taka, who was introduced in the After-School Hexer case (Takigawa's fan). Although she never appeared again in the anime and manga, she works as a part-timer at SPR in the novels, and she features as a minor character in this story.

* * *

_October 12, Morning_

The sun was beginning to climb rather high, and the rush of morning traffic had just begun to dwindle. Noticing that the streets were once more the ones she was familiar with, Mai jolted herself out of her drowsiness.

"Thank goodness the client lived this close this time," she yawned, with no expectation of a reply from the two reticent men sharing the van. Oh, what she wouldn't do for Yasuhara's company at a time like this—but he was stopping by somewhere else to run some errands, and he wouldn't be back until the afternoon.

The vehicle stalled to a stop in front of their building, and Lin and Naru exited first to do a final inspection of the equipment. "I'll go check the mail," Mai called, and sprang toward the postbox. Taka or Madoka should have gone through the post at least once while they'd been investigating, but it never hurt to check.

She fished the key to the postbox from her keychain with a grin on her face. It had only been two months since she'd been allowed to have it; Naru had never let her touch the phone or the mail during his whole secretive phase. The lid to the box opened with a clank, and she picked up the two envelopes inside—and froze.

_Tokyo Special Investigative Unit_, wrote one. The other came from _Tokyo Metropolitan Police._ Both were dated from yesterday—an unbelievably fast delivery time. She swallowed.

_How many letters do you think Naru received every day back in England?_ Madoka had once asked. _Ten or twenty, all requests to use Psychometry to find missing loved ones_. Most of whom were dead by then.

The other two had locked up the van and were walking toward the office, the usual somber looks on their faces. She cleared her throat nervously and tried to speak in a light-hearted tone. "Hey, Naru… Are you sure you didn't forget to pay your taxes after all?"

He shot her a scathing look at her sudden question as if to say _who do you think I am?_

"But, if you forgot, you wouldn't know it yourself, right?"

"_If_ something like that had happened," he said irritably, "it would be Madoka's oversight and not mine." He was about to say something else when he noticed the letters in her hand. "What's that?"

Her hand wavered for a moment, but she finally held them up for him to see. His expression didn't change as he looked back toward the office indifferently. "In terms of probability, it's more likely that they're fines for jaywalking addressed to you."

"Hey, I'll let you know that I'm an honest, law-abiding citizen—" Her protest was cut off as he deftly took the letters from her hand and tossed them into the waste bin. A conflicted look flitted across her face. She didn't want him to have to read those letters, but was it really alright to just throw away official documents as if they were everyday rubbish? But then, perhaps that was precisely what they were to him.

"If you have time to waste daydreaming about other people's mail, you should get started on cataloguing the new book deliveries."

"Fine, _boss_," she retorted indignantly, but he could see the unease still written on her face and sighed softly.

"I haven't sunk so low as to have my conscience bothered by refusing the whines of a few incompetent pests who want to slack on their investigative work," he told her crisply.

"Of course not. After all, you are the an egotistical jerk who thinks the whole world revolves around you," Mai grumbled in response, but her shoulders sagged with visible relief.

"I only recognize merit where it's due." With that, he disappeared into his office.

That was right, she thought. It was Naru, after all. Thick-skinned, insensitive, cold-hearted, with ice running through his veins. If she thought about it, it wasn't that much different from turning away half a dozen worried clients at the door every day.

And besides, now that she was on mail duty, she could sort through these unnecessary requests before he had to look at them. Yes, that was a good plan, she decided, but then another doubt crept into her mind and her hand stopped writing unconsciously mid-word. How would she figure out which were important and which were not? What if one of the requests really was urgent? What if someone's life really did hinge on Naru's reading? It was the _police_, after all.

The pen fell out of her hand and rolled across her desk, but she didn't notice. Hesitantly, she retrieved the letters from the waste bin and tore open the envelopes, reading them over.

_Age 37, female, missing two months. Age 24, male, missing three weeks._

She sighed. If they'd been missing that long, she doubted even Naru could help them. Stuffing the letters back into the waste bin, she returned to her cataloguing.

The hours ticked by in silence when the door to the President's office suddenly opened. Startled, Mai's eyes flew toward first the door, then the clock. Twelve o'clock, noon.

"I'm leaving for today," Naru announced as he stepped out of his room.

His face looked normal, but his hair was slightly ruffled, and Mai had a sneaking suspicion that he'd been asleep until now. He had stayed up late reviewing the case data, after all. Moreover, he must have been tired after using his PK, even with Gene's help—not to mention suffering through Lin's lecture, which possibly had even more destructive power. Lin's fussy, fatherly manner had been a rare sight, and Naru had almost looked his age, no, maybe even youn—

"—Mai!" Naru sounded impatient.

"Huh? Oh!" She snapped to attention.

"Were you asleep?" He asked suspiciously.

_Like you're one to talk,_ she thought, but decided that she was in enough trouble as it was.

"Sorry," she said guiltily. "What did you say?"

He sighed irritably. "As I said, if there are any clients, leave their case details on my desk. Also, you can leave early today, at three."

"Huh? Why?" She asked, baffled. "There's finally work to do for once, and if any clients—"

"Leave at three," he interrupted firmly, and she could tell that he wouldn't be negotiating the matter.

Jeez, fine, whatever, who wants to be here anyways? She muttered under her breath as she returned to her paperwork, listening to his footsteps leave the office and the click of the front door closing.

She didn't look up until she was sure that he was well and truly gone, and her eyes wandered around the room again. By chance, her gaze fell onto the gray waste bin, and she stood up abruptly. Now was her chance.

Mai rushed to the phone in the corner and punched in Madoka's number. On the final digit, her finger paused for a second. Would Naru be mad? He probably would be; he didn't like people meddling in his business, but Madoka might know what to do. She made up her mind and pressed the button.

_Beep… Beep…_ She waited impatiently as the phone rang three times before she heard the _click_ of the other end picking up.

"Hello, Mori Madoka speaking," the voice on the other end said cheerfully.

"Mori-san? Are you busy right now?" Mai asked nervously.

"Mai? Not at all! What is it? You sound worried."

"Um…" She wasn't sure where to start. "It's about Naru…"

"Ah," Madoka said understandingly. "It's only been two months, and that kid has already forgotten his manners, right? Don't worry, I'll straighten him out right aw—"

"That's not what I mean," Mai interrupted hastily. "It's… um… Lin-san sent you the case details for the Agawa house, right? There was an acquaintance of the client's involved… Hirota-san… was from the Tokyo Special Investigative Unit… Naru's psychometry... They know..."

There was a brief silent. "I see," Madoka's voice was heavy, and it was enough for Mai to tell that she understood the situation. "I'll grill Lin for the details later. You don't have to worry about it."

"But, I…"

"Don't worry about it," Madoka said firmly. "Oliver can take care of himself. Besides, since only the police was involved, I doubt his situation has gone public yet. Most likely, it's still classified information. It won't be nearly as bad as in England."

"… I see…"

"Since you're concerned, why don't we meet up for lunch this weekend? By then, I'll have looked into things a bit more, and I can tell you if there's anything to worry about."

"… Yes, that sounds good. Um—will you keep it a secret from Naru—that I called—I don't think he'd be happy."

There was a rush of static that sounded like a laugh. "Yes, of course. I'll be keeping my side secret for now, as well. No need to invite unnecessary scorn from him, right?"

"That's good," Mai let out a breath in relief. "Thank you so much, Mori-san."

"It's no problem at all," was the light-hearted reply. "I'm glad that silly child has someone looking out for him, even if he is as rude as he is. Take care, Mai."

There was another _click_, and then the dial tone. Mai put the phone back in its place and quickly deleted her call from the call history. Success—! She wouldn't be ill-suited for a life as a master criminal, she thought triumphantly.

* * *

_October 12, Evening_

By the time Naru returned to the office, it was five in the evening. The days were beginning to shorten, and the sky already had traces of orange and pink. He pushed open the office door and glanced around to check who was inside. Yasuhara was the only one there. The door to the materials room was closed, but Lin should be inside.

Yasuhara looked up to greet him. "Boss," he said cheerfully with a wave.

"You placed the order this morning?" Naru sank into the sofa and flipped open a book without sparing him a glance.

"I did. It should be here very soon."

Naru nodded in silent acknowledgement, and Yasuhara cracked a smile.

"If Taniyama knew, she would be mocking you silly."

There was no reply.

"She left at three today," Yasuhara hedged.

Still, nothing but silence.

"She did not seem very happy to leave."

The book in Naru's hands snapped closed. "I don't remember idle chatter being part of the work assigned to you," he said crisply, and Yasuhara put his hands up in surrender with a laugh.

"I wouldn't dare. I was merely reporting the day's events—"

He was saved by a knock on the door. A deliveryman came in with a large, flat, rectangular cardboard box. Yasuhara took the box cheerfully and signed, then waved goodbye as the man left.

Naru had returned to his book by the time Yasuhara brought the box back to his desk and cut the tape to open it, revealing a plain, rectangular mirror with no adornments or frame.

"Shall I put it up in your office, Boss?" He asked, lifting the cold glass.

"Please do so," was the cold reply. "You can leave as soon as you finish."

Half an hour later, the mirror was installed at the back of his office, and Yasuhara was gone. Naru finally stood up and walked toward the mirror, placing a hand on its smooth surface.

_Gene?_ He called silently, but there was no reply. He hadn't been expecting one.

As he stared at his reflection, his mind sifted through the memories of the past year and a half. How often had Gene appeared? When did he do so? There had to be some sort of pattern, some theory to predict his presence. Was it necessity? Some formulaic interval of time? Certain external factors or stimuli? Mai had said he hadn't appeared at all while Naru had been in England. Physical proximity, then? But, why a mirror, and why now?

His fingers tapped the swirls of the wood on his desk as he pondered. The thought that perhaps he should ask in detail about Gene's appearances in Mai's dreams after all occurred to him, but he quickly drove it away. Personal experiences weren't reliable data, and besides, the idea irritated him.

He sighed. There was no way to make further headway on this theory without more data, and there was no way to get more data until his idiot brother decided to wake up. As he left his office and walked into the hall, something about the waste bin caught his eye. He couldn't place what felt off about it until his eyes fell on the words _Tokyo Special Investigative Unit._

The envelope was torn. Someone had opened it.

He folded his arms. Lin, Yasuhara, and Mai were the only ones who had been in the office since this morning. Lin wouldn't have opened it, and even if he had, he would have mentioned it. Yasuhara might have been curious enough to take it out of the trash, but he would have been much sneakier about leaving evidence behind. Besides, no matter how he thought about it, there was only one person impetuous and primitive enough to forget to use a letter opener.

"Lin."

The older man opened the door to the materials room and looked outside in reply.

"Do we have any spare locks for the postbox?"

"No," was the brief reply.

Naru considered for a moment. "Get a new lock and replace it before tomorrow evening. Don't give the spare keys to anyone else for the moment."

Lin raised an eyebrow in a silent question, but Naru ignored him. "Is there something wrong with the lock?" He finally resorted to asking.

"Yes." Naru gave no further explanation.

* * *

_October 13, Evening_

The next day was a school day, so it was evening by the time Mai hurried out of the station. It wasn't quite dark yet, but the air already had a chill to it, and she shivered as she rubbed her arms for warmth. When she burst through the office doors, Naru was already inside, and he was sitting on the sofa out in the hall for once instead of in his office room.

"Naru!" She greeted energetically, and he glanced up briefly before returning to his book. That was actually a fairly decent reply for him, so she decided to forgive it this once. Besides, there was something even rarer distracting her attention, and she couldn't help but stare.

He wasn't wearing black. Well, more precisely, he was still wearing black pants, and the coat hanging nearby was also black, but his shirt was a deep, navy blue. The shirt was dark enough that she hadn't noticed the difference immediately, but it was unmistakably blue.

Her smile widened. Had he put aside his mourning for Gene? She doubted the grief would ever truly disappear—especially not while his brother was still lost somewhere in the afterlife for inexplicable reasons—but perhaps that was his way of expressing that he was ready to look forward.

"Did any clients come today?" She asked as she set her schoolbag down on her desk and hung her jacket.

"No."

She pursed her lips. "Did they really not come, or did you just chase them all away?"

His eyes flicked up to her again for a second, then returned to the book in his hand. "There were no clients whose case we'll be taking."

Hmph. Just as she'd thought. "You did drive them away," she said accusingly, jabbing a finger in his direction.

"The last time I checked, _I_ make judgments about _your_ work decisions, not the other way around."

"Did you at least hear them out?"

"I heard enough."

"'Enough,' by whose standards?" She threw her hands up in exasperation.

"Not yours, thank goodness, or this office would be a mess."

She threw him a nasty look and muttered something under her breath, which included something like _stuck-up_ and _tyrant_ before returning to the cataloguing she hadn't finished yesterday.

There was still half a box of books that had yet to be recorded, and she pulled out the one on the top of pile, squinting at the title. Something in English. She flipped it open and skimmed its contents. As expected, it was completely impossible to understand, but she recognized the format, at least.

"Naru, this one should be marked 'Thesis,' right?" Mai held up the book, and he looked up.

"Not bad. Even a monkey can learn new tricks, it seems."

She stuck her nose up in the air indignantly, but decided not to contest this one. It was a compliment, after all… Sort of.

As she jotted down the title onto the notecard in her hand, she glanced up again. Naru really did look different in a blue shirt—much less forbidding. The thought that he looked almost like Gene crossed her mind for a brief moment, but although that was true, it also couldn't be farther from the truth.

When Gene smiled, the warmth reached every corner of his face. He looked perfectly relaxed, perfectly kind—brilliant, like sunlight. Naru had said that nobody could tell them apart when they were both expressionless, but she thought that wasn't strictly true; Gene had a warmth that reached the depths of his eyes, even when he looked worried or tense. Not, she reflected, that she could claim to be any sort of expert on Gene, however much she wished that weren't the case.

Naru was a completely different matter, though. She had decided that the most accurate description of him would be "made of ice," with that constantly indifferent expression. Even his rare, genuine smiles felt somewhat reserved and didn't reach all of his face, almost as if he didn't really know what to do with himself. When he was upset or angry, his expression would be ice-cold, every muscle on his face taut, and it would be impossible to tell what he was thinking.

Still, it wasn't like he really was expressionless, she mused. For the most part, his feelings were written clearly on his face, if you knew where to look. The slightest upward twitch of the corner of his mouth when he was amused, or tiniest knit in his eyebrows when he was worried. He tapped his fingers when he was deep in thought, and he bit his lip when he was distracted.

Even now, she could read the skepticism in the lift of his brow as he pored over the book in his hand, she thought, tapping the edge of her pen against her lip as she studied his face. At the mention of books, though, she remembered what she was supposed to be doing and hastily picked up the next one in the stack. This one was in Japanese, thank goodness.

By the time she cleared through the rest of the box, Naru had retreated to his own office, and the room was empty. There weren't any missed calls, and it was too late for any clients to be likely to show up. She fished her keychain out of her pocket and headed for the postbox.

At first, she thought it must be a mistake. No matter how she jammed her key into the keyhole, it wouldn't go in all the way.

_Was it the wrong key? _

She inspected the whole mess of keys on the ring, flipping through each one with a tiny_ clink, clink_ each time. She even tried a few of them for good measure, but as the possibilities began to dwindle, the truth dawned on her.

He must have changed the lock.

_Why?_ She asked furiously.

* * *

**A/N**: Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed, and I would love to get feedback.

A brief note about my use of honorifics and addresses: I'm focusing on a natural adaptation to English conventions, rather than perfect translation accuracy, so I'm more or less going with personal preference as far as what I'm keeping as a literal translation. I've opted to drop informal honorifics like "-chan" and "-kun." I'm keeping "-san" merely because using "Mr." and "Ms." etc. feel rather clunky to me.


	2. Chapter 2

_October 14, Evening_

Takigawa Houshou considered himself someone with pretty good self-preservation instincts. He had to be, what with all the haunted houses and curses and evil spirits that he somehow managed to find himself in the middle of all the time. Well, there was no "somehow" about it—he knew exactly how he kept landing himself in such situations. But, at any rate, he was proud of having a pretty good nose for danger.

That was why, the moment he put his hand against the door to the SPR office that day, he almost turned right back around and left.

Almost.

But, he thought with a sigh, he was the only responsible adult of the bunch (Lin didn't count because he never spoke, and Ayako might be an old lady, but she could barely be considered an adult), so if the chill down his spine wasn't just a figment of his imagination, he would just have to deal with it.

He walked in cheerfully and looked around to see what might be going on. At first glance, nothing was wrong. Ayako and John were both sitting on the sofa comfortably, and Naru was nowhere in sight—in his office, most likely. Mai was also nowhere to be seen, but he heard a muffled clank and the sound of running water that indicated she was in the kitchenette.

"Takigawa-san," John greeted him with a smile, but he thought the smile looked a bit strained. Was it just his imagination?

"How is everything going?" Takigawa asked in reply with a wave, sitting down next to Ayako.

"Absolutely swell," the self-proclaimed priestess said irritably, but it was nothing new for her to be irritable.

"Is it just me, or does it seem a bit tense in here? Don't tell me little Naru has already got another case on his hands for us," the monk probed lightly, trying to figure out what was setting off the alarm in his gut.

Ayako and John exchanged a look. Not a good sign.

"There's no case yet," John said lightly with a smile. "It would feel much too soon, anyways."

"You better _hope_ there's no case anytime soon," Ayako muttered under her breath.

His gut told him that was an important statement. "Why? Did something happen?"

John and Ayako exchanged another look. John had just opened his mouth to speak, when—

"Oh, Bou-san," Mai's voice came from just around the corner. "Iced coffee as usual?"

"Huh?" He blinked. There it was. His sense of danger was screaming at him. He studied the part-timer, trying to put a finger on what was wrong. For one thing, Mai never, ever, _ever_ offered make him a drink without at least a little complaint. For another, her voice was terribly strained, and she sounded more than a little annoyed. And perhaps most frighteningly, a perfect, dazzling professional smile was pasted firmly on her face.

"Umm… sure, thanks," he answered uncertainly, and she disappeared into the kitchenette again. When she was well out of sight, he shot a questioning look at the other two in the room.

"They've both been like that all afternoon," Ayako grumbled in a low voice. "I'm going to get an ulcer just from sitting here."

Takigawa had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. "'They'?" He repeated.

"Naru and Mai," John explained in a whisper. "I think they're fighting."

"Really?" Takigawa accidentally raised his voice in surprise. He hastily lowered his voice again. "Are you sure? I mean…" His voice trailed off. Sure, it was true that they bickered a lot, but most of it was harmless banter, and even if Mai had quite a temper on her and would storm off sometimes, she wasn't one to hold a grudge. "How long has it been going on? Are you sure it's not just the usual?"

"Absolutely certain," Ayako said firmly. "You didn't see the look on that brat Naru's face just a few minutes ago. The way he was glaring, I thought I'd gotten lost and wound up in the Arctic. And Mai, I haven't seen her that angry since…" She took a few moments to think. "Since the time she thought he was about to curse everyone in Yasuhara's school."

Takigawa whistled appreciatively. It must have been something big, but he couldn't guess what, seeing as they weren't even on a case right now.

"So, are there are leads as to what the cause was? When did it start?"

"According to Yasuhara-san, they were already at odds by the time he arrived yesterday evening. He doesn't know why, and he claims he isn't brave enough to ask."

The monk nodded in agreement. Conducting a direct interview with either of them would be like prodding a raging tiger with a stick. Not smart. "No signs of the argument breaking anytime soon?"

"None," Ayako stated.

"Hmm…"

"Do you think we should try to mediate?" John asked worriedly.

"Oh, let them be. Kids will be kids, and if we're lucky, by the time there's a case, they'll have forgotten whatever sour thing it is they've swallowed, and we won't have to deal with them," Ayako said with a wave of her hand. From the irritation in her voice, it sounded like she must have been on the receiving end of one of Naru's caustic remarks earlier.

"Hmm, well, certainly, it's none of our business," Takigawa nodded dubiously. "They've been through worse." He sat in silent contemplation for a few minutes, then muttered under his breath, "I just hope their stubbornness doesn't bring any trou—"

A sudden clank interrupted him as a glass of iced coffee was set down loudly in front of him. Startled, he looked up at the stiff expressions on John and Ayako's faces, and then further up to Mai, who was standing in front of him, coffee in hand.

"Oh? Stubbornness? I don't know what you're talking about," she said rather loudly with fake cheer. "_I_, at least, know better than to mix work and personal feelings." A dark look at the closed door to the president's office made it clear who the barb was aimed at.

"Little lady," Takigawa began with a somewhat nervous laugh. "Since you're so insistent about work ethics, then perhaps being a bit friendlier to us—"

"Hm?" She interrupted. "I didn't know you were here for work, Bou-san. I thought the three of you were just here to loaf around as usual."

Her smile was dazzling, but he felt a shiver of fear. She really was spending too much time around Naru's poisonous mouth, he thought with a sigh.

"Alright, alright," he held his hands up in surrender. "I admit it, I'm guilty. But Mai, you're about to get off work anyways, right? Why don't we get dinner together, the four of us? I'll even treat you," he added with a wink.

It looked like she couldn't stay mad in the face of his offer. The tension left her shoulders slightly, and she nodded a bit apologetically. "Sorry, Bou-san. I didn't mean to snap at you." She glanced at the clock. "I'll be done in twenty minutes, when Taka gets here."

Twenty minutes later, the four of them were out the office door. Ayako parted ways with them since she had another appointment to meet, but John was tagging along, and they herded into a small but cozy restaurant.

"So?" Takigawa asked, getting right to the point. "I heard you got in a fight with little Naru."

"Not really…" She muttered. "We're not exactly fighting."

"Absolutely not, you're acting like best friends," Takigawa said dryly, and she laughed. "So then, what's the reason?"

An irritated look crossed her face. "He changed the p…" She trailed off, then suddenly looked embarrassed. "Well, maybe it's nothing after all," she mumbled.

"The P—? Paper? Printer? Playboy subscr—"

The loud metallic clang of a fork hitting the ground interrupted them. John had the grace to look flustered as he picked his fork back up. Almost simultaneously, Mai jumped up and slammed her hands onto the table in surprise. "What kind of monk are you?! Postbox lock, I said!"

He grinned cheerfully. "Don't hold it against me, little lady. Yasuhara's rubbing off on me, I swear."

She seemed to notice she was attracting stares and sat back down in defeat. "Yesterday, Naru changed the lock to the postbox without even telling me!" She complained. "And then, when I asked him why he hadn't let me know first, he said, 'You would just have forgotten it anyways.'" She mimicked his expression with a comically deep voice. "Can you believe it?! And, he wouldn't even give me the key! Sorting the mail is my job, you know?! How am I supposed to do my job if he keeps messing around? What kind of president is he, anyways?!"

"Hmm," Takigawa muttered contemplatively. It was a plausible scenario, and it did sound like something that would set off her temper, to be sure… but still, was it enough to make her angry for a whole day, and counting? And why would Naru be upset about it?

"I see," John said comfortingly, patting Mai on the back. "That certainly does sound like Naru. But that's just the way he is, after all. I don't think he meant any particular disrespect toward you. Perhaps he just has something on his mind."

At his last sentence, a look of complete unease suddenly crossed Mai's face. "Hmm… Yeah…" She said vaguely, then grabbed one of the menus and began to inspect it with unusual concentration. "But, enough about that, it's Naru being Naru," she said brightly, a little too brightly. "Let's order! Bou-san, your treat, right? No take-backs."

"Fine, fine, what do you take me for, anyways? Uncle would never go back on his word." He patted his chest proudly, but she wasn't listening. A chill had invaded the tips of her fingers that had nothing to do with the ice clinking gently in the glass she was holding or the drop of cold water trailing slowly down her hand.

* * *

_October 14, Evening_

Naru opened the mailbox and looked inside. There was the usual assortment of advertisements, documents, and so forth, as well as six out-of-place envelopes. All police. He flipped through them one by one. It looked like they were still all limited to departments in and around the Tokyo area.

Three of the six were from departments that had already mailed him. Most likely, they were repeat requests for the same case. Absently, he picked one of the other envelopes up and left the rest inside the postbox for Lin to sort through later.

As he sank into the chair in his office, he glanced at the mirror on the wall and called out silently to his brother—it had become something of a habit lately. As usual, there was no reply.

_Maybe I really will turn into a narcissus someday_.

Briefly, he wondered whether his consciousness or his physical form would be the first to go if that happened, but such purely fictional hypotheticals were a waste of time, so he quickly drove the idle thought away. Evidently, stupidity _was_ contagious after all, especially the particular brand of stupidity named Mai.

Speaking of Mai… He ran a finger over the envelope in his hand, then reached for the letter opener. He, at least, was determined to take advantage of the human race's ability to use tools. As he unfolded the envelope, he scanned the words on the page.

High school student, female, age 16. Missing for four days. Came from a family of four—two parents and a younger sister.

He sighed. It was precisely the sort of thing that would tug at her heartstrings. She was already concerned for him using his abilities, but judging by past experience, it was likely that she wouldn't be able to help but sympathize with the missing persons and their families. Conflicting motives. Which one would win out? It was a simple arithmetic calculation. On the one hand there was himself—one person—and on the other hand, two requests the first day, then three, this time six… how many more letters would come? How many had he thrown away in the past? Hundreds? Thousands? Compared to the six hundred at Ryokuryou High School, this was far worse. She was bound to get angry. Or rather, he amended, she was already angry.

Which concern won out wasn't the important part, though—the main problem was that it was a source of anxiety no one would be able to resolve, at least unless one of them left for good. It was a bit cowardly to hide the letters from her, but no matter how he thought about it, it was the best option. Every letter was a physical representation of a real person. The more letters Mai had to look through, the more worried and anxious she would end up becoming. She wasn't terribly good at grasping abstract ideas, so as long as the anxiety in her mind remained only abstract, it would just lie around in the back of her mind.

Vaguely, he wondered if he just didn't want her to think even more poorly of him, but that was stupid and dangerous line of thought to go down. He had never once thought that misplaced acts of compassion toward strangers should have any bearing on his self-worth before, and he wasn't about to start now.

He glanced at the mirror. What would Gene have done, if it were him? The answer was obvious. Gene was every bit the bleeding-hearted idiot that Mai was, so he would have agreed to every possible request and damn the consequences. Hadn't that been the whole reason he'd ended up in that car accident? Accepting a spirit cleansing request from a complete stranger for no reason in faraway _Japan_? If Gene were alive right now, no doubt the two of them would happily accompany each other to an early grave.

_Idiots_, he thought, tearing up the letter in his hand.

* * *

_October 15, Noon_

"A spare key?!" Mai practically jumped up from her seat.

"Yes, that's right," Madoka smiled. "I had Lin make one in secret." She handed the silver key over.

Mai felt a trace of unease as she took the key. It felt somehow like she was deceiving Naru; she didn't like lying in general, and this was somehow even more… But then again, she thought with irritation, it served him right for switching locks around in secret. Who asked him to butt in on her work? He had finally, finally, trusted her enough to let her have that key, so wasn't it too fickle to switch things around again just because he felt like it? That was right. It served him right. And she was trying to help, after all.

"I'll do it," she declared.

"Lovely! I knew I could count on you," Madoka beamed. "Remember, though—don't take anything out, and don't open anything. All I want you to do is keep an eye on the number of letters he's getting, and their senders."

Mai nodded. "If the number of letters starts increasing too much, or if people from outside the police start sending letters, I need to tell you, right?"

"Exactly. That's when we'll start to have a problem."

The younger girl pondered for a moment. "Does it seem bad so far?"

"Hmm," Madoka mused. "I doubt there's too much of a problem for the moment, but since the Tokyo Special Investigative Unit members seem to be acting fairly independently, one of them might accidentally leak Oliver… Naru's identity."

"Hirota-san had a bit of a big mouth," Mai recalled. Uncertainty crept into her expression. "Mori-san, do you think… if the letters start increasing, Naru will leave?"

"Huh?" Madoka looked startled. "Do you think so?"

"I don't know… It was just a feeling." She hesitated.

"Hmm, well… Naru never says anything, of course, but I can't help but think he doesn't like it. The letters, and all that. I wonder if the reason he came back so quickly in the first place was because he enjoyed the relative anonymity here."

"I see… Then, do you know how long he was planning to stay this time?" She asked with difficulty.

"How long…?" Madoka paused. "The application itself grants ten years of license, but the attached developmental plan for this office included intentions of expanding operations throughout all ten years, so Oliver must intend to renew the license at the end of the ten-year period."

"Ten… Ten years?!" Mai's eyes widened in astonishment. "Really? Are you sure?"

"Yes, quite. Of course, it's possible that he could transfer out halfway, since I'm listed in the license as the substitute manager of this branch. However, judging from the paperwork he submitted, at least, he seems serious about staying."

"I see…" Mai looked a bit dazed.

"Still, if you want to know, I think you should ask him yourself."

* * *

_October 16, Morning_

Ten years.

Ten years was too huge of a time span for her to process; planning for university exams next year was already enough of a headache, and a lot could happen in ten years. Even trying to imagine what the future would look like in ten years made her dizzy.

_This time, at least, he wouldn't suddenly try to leave without saying a word, would he?_

For now, though, the problem was—those requests. It wasn't that she was _really_ concerned about him; it was _Naru_ after all, and for better or for worse, he was a cold-blooded, self-centered blockhead who wouldn't be fazed by a few pieces of paper. _Would he?_ She fiddled with the button of her jacket anxiously.

Well, at any rate—she restarted her line of thought—the problem was that Naru hated publicity, and if things got out of hand, he might very well just get fed up and leave. He had come here to hunt for ghosts, but ghosts were everywhere, right? In that case, wasn't one country just as well as another? She couldn't say for certain, since she didn't really understand his research, but…

No, in all honesty, she had no real, solid reason yet to suggest that she should be this worried about those letters. Why was she, then? She couldn't say for certain, but it felt like her intuition. Did her intuition usually work outside of cases? Not that she could remember.

_Does that mean this is a matter of self-preservation for me?_ She thought wryly. She couldn't imagine how. Maybe a ghost was going to pop out of one of those letters one of these days?

She shook her head in irritation as the train creaked to a stop. In the first place, this was all Naru's fault for changing the lock as he pleased. Even if he was the president, there was a limit to how unreasonable he could be about workplace policies. Wasn't it common sense to at least give your employees a heads-up before you changed their duties around?

Stupid Naru. If he hadn't decided to start being all secretive again, she wouldn't be this frustrated. If she could at least check the postbox to make sure things were fine, then she wouldn't have to worry much. As the clink of the keychain in her pocket reminded her of its presence, she thought that at least Mori-san was being helpful.

She slipped her hand into her pocket and traced the outline of the cold metal, the indent of the engraved letters _SPR_. Their conversation made its way back into her thoughts.

_Ten years_.

Her stomach fluttered a little, but she couldn't tell if she felt happy or sick. Those two simple words brought her immeasurable relief, but at the same time, she thought she felt that creeping, cold feeling again, eating away at her chest.

No, that was silly, she told herself. At the very least her part-time position was secure for now. And if he were to stay for another year, or two, or maybe five—perhaps, by then, they would be close enough friends that he would at least reply to the letters she wrote, she thought with a little annoyance. Besides, as long as SPR was open, even if Naru wasn't the one running it, they would still be connected in some way.

She couldn't help the smile that started tugging at the corners of her mouth, and by the time she had trekked to the front doors of the office, she had all but forgotten the rest of her worries. Even that sickening, cold sensation had abated.

She pushed the door open and immediately spotted a dark figure sitting on the couch, fiddling aimlessly with a deck of cards. His eyebrows were knit together in deep concentration, and he must have been thinking hard about something, as he didn't even seem to notice her when she came in.

"Naru!" She greeted cheerfully.

He looked up, jolted out of his trance, and a look of astonishment crossed his face for a split second. Why did he look so surprised? Oh, right, she was still supposed to be mad at him. Ahh, oh well, since she was so generous and kind-hearted, she would forgive him this once. What had she even been so upset about again? There was the key, to be sure, but… hmm… the rest… She really couldn't recall.

He sighed softly. "Sorry," he said simply, then returned to fiddling with his cards.

"Huh? For the lock?" This time it was Mai's turn to be surprised. It hadn't seemed like a big enough deal for Naru to go so far as to apologize for, but she wouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth. "Well… I _might_ forgive you if you show me a magic trick," she said sweetly.

He raised an eyebrow, any trace of remorse gone. "Like a puppy begging for a treat."

"Hey, keep in mind which one of us is the one apologizing here."

He sighed again and started shuffling the deck in his hand. "Fine. Pick one." He spread the cards out in a fan and held them out.

Her hand hovered over the array for a few moments before snatching a random card.

"Ten of hearts," he said simply.

"What do you m—Huh?!" She flipped over the card and stared at it. "How did you know?!"

"Idiots wouldn't understand even if I explained." He took the card back and put it on top of the deck, then shuffled again.

"Are you sure you didn't cheat? That wasn't psychometry?"

"Of course I cheated," he scoffed. "Magic tricks are cheating by nature. I don't need psychometry for something as trivial as this."

She bit the side her cheek in annoyance. "Well, I wouldn't know anyways."

"Exactly, so be quiet." He laid the stack of cards down on the table. "Take the first one."

Obediently, she flipped over the card on top. "Ahh—! The ten of hearts again?" After flipping it over several times to study it closely, she put it back down on the stack.

He shrugged and picked the deck back up, shuffling it one last time. She stared at his hands intensely, but she couldn't see anything out of the ordinary. Finally, he slipped the cards back in their box and tossed it to her. "It's gone," he said indifferently, then picked up a book lying on the table and began to read.

"What is?" She asked in confusion, looking into the box of cards. Puzzled, she upended the box and began flipping through the cards. At first, she couldn't figure out what was wrong, but after flipping through them the second time, she started leafing through them more hastily. "It really is gone! The ten of hearts is gone! Are you hiding it?" She accused. He ignored her.

"Hey, Nar—" The ringing of the phone interrupted her. She quickly got up and picked up the receiver, holding it to her ear. "Hello, this is Taniyama Mai of Shibuya Psychic Research."

A somewhat familiar male voice was on the other end, sounding a bit embarrassed. "Ah, Taniyama-san, sorry for calling so suddenly… Um, how do I say this…"

The static made it difficult to pinpoint who it was, and it took her a few moments to recognize him. When she did, the color drained out of her face. "Hirota-san?!"

Naru looked up sharply at the name. The investigator who'd accused him of Gene's murder at the Agawa house? It had seemed like he wouldn't keep pressing the issue at the time, but perhaps he had changed his mind after all? Or, perhaps what he was after was… Either way, it couldn't be good news.

"What? Really?" He watched Mai speak into the receiver with surprise, then pause. "Will he be coming here as well? I see… Yes… Pardon me for asking, but… how does he feel about… you know…" She paused again, a conflicted look on her face. "Well, I think that should be fine, but let me check."

She covered the mouthpiece of the phone with her hand and turned to Naru. "It's Hirota-san. He says his boss wants to consult SPR for a case, and he wants to see if they can drop by this afternoon."

"His boss is coming as well?"

She nodded.

"And he believes ghosts are at work?"

"It seems like he isn't sure yet, but he's willing to give it a try."

He bit his lip. It might just be a normal case, but… At any rate, if he heard them out, he might be able to figure out their intentions. "Tell them to come by at one o'clock," he ordered.

She turned back to the phone and spoke a few brief words, then hung up. "Do you think they…"

"It's too early to decide anything." He stood up and picked up his book, heading toward his office. "Call Yasuhara over as well."

He heard her pick up the phone again as he closed the door to his office, thinking. Hirota's boss… The man hadn't exactly been keen about the supernatural during the case, so what kind of person would his boss be? Furthermore, letting his subordinate run around as he pleased… And yet he was suddenly interested enough to have SPR take a case? No matter how he thought about it, the situation didn't give him a good feeling.

As his sleeve brushed against the desk, the smooth surface of the card hidden inside pressed against his skin. Absently, he drew the card out and turned it over. The ten of hearts. He would have to put it back into the deck later, he thought, tossing it into his desk drawer.

* * *

**A/N:** As always, thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! Any feedback would be helpful and much appreciated.

On a different note, while I was writing, I started wondering why I'd only ever seen corded phones in the anime, and it suddenly occurred to me that Ghost Hunt was first written decades ago. I somehow never realized, possibly because the manga version of Akumu replaces Hirota's friend with a fancy cell phone, but I suppose that does explain why the high-tech SPR is lugging around such bulky TV monitors. I laugh whenever I think that all the crap poor Mai has to carry would be at least 2/3 lighter in this day and age, and probably wireless to boot.

Anyways, I thought about it for a while and I've decided to stick with as close to 90's era technology as my vague, barely reliable memory and deficiency of specialized vocabulary will allow. Pardon for any lapses, especially when it comes to scientific equipment and all that.


	3. Chapter 3

_October 16, Afternoon_

Hirota's boss, who was introduced as Kurahashi, was a short, stout man with thin lips and the faint smell of tobacco. Although Hirota looked uncomfortable as he sat on the couch, Kurahashi looked only a mildly disinterested and somewhat condescending. Naru, sitting across from him, had practically the exact same expression on his face. If the atmosphere hadn't been so heavy, Mai might have snickered.

"Is this an official request?" Naru asked, a black case file in hand as he jotted down notes.

"No, a personal one," Kurahashi replied.

"What's the problem?"

"I recently purchased a house for my mother in the countryside. After living there for a week, she said she couldn't stay in it anymore because she kept hearing strange noises, and things often went missing, and she was terrified."

"What makes you think it's a supernatural problem?"

"At first I thought it might be some sort of mischief, but after looking around myself, I couldn't find any probable causes."

"Have there been any deaths in your family or among your mother's friends in the past few years?"

"None."

"Have you met with the previous owner of the house?"

"Yes, before we purchased it."

"Why did the previous owner sell the house?"

"The same reason—they were scared of the noises and didn't want to live in it anymore."

Both of their voices were flat and business-like, as if they were discussing taxes rather than a haunted house. That was normal for Naru, but Mai thought that Kurahashi must have nerves of steel to be this composed. As expected of a chief of police, she supposed. At that moment, though, the short man's stern eyes met hers for the briefest of moments, and she felt a chill go down her spine.

The interview turned to household appliances, heating, electric supply, nearby geography, and all sorts of things that went over her head. Nearby, Yasuhara was also taking notes with a serious look on his face. The conversation went on for well over half an hour until Naru finally closed the black casebook and set it on the table.

"We'll take a look on-site before we make a final decision about whether to accept your case. Our investigator will speak to you about the details," he said, gesturing toward the materials room. Both Kurahashi and Hirota stood up with a nod and headed inside, presumably to speak with Lin.

When the door to the materials room closed again, Naru picked the casebook back up and skimmed through it. "What did you think?" He asked Yasuhara.

The college student thought for a minute. "From what I know of him, Hirota-san, at least, appears to be speaking truthfully."

Naru agreed. "He isn't a good liar, and he operates on a fairly strict set of principles. It's unlikely that he's trying to deceive us this time."

"His boss is hard to read, though."

"Hmm," Naru answered vaguely.

"I'll start investigating the house right away, but whether or not there's something fishy involved, I doubt anything will come up. They are the police, after all."

Naru continued to skim through his notes. "It doesn't matter. Find anything you can. Get in contact with the house's previous owner, if possible."

As Yasuhara nodded, the sound of footsteps approached from the materials room, and soon the two clients walked out together. Mai watched as Lin saw them to the door, and their silhouettes disappeared behind the opaque glass door.

* * *

_October 17, Evening_

By the time Mai reached the SPR office after school the next day, it was already evening. The office was practically empty, since everyone was busy preparing for the next case; even Lin was out doing maintenance on the equipment. Taka was the only one there, and she turned around when she heard Mai come in.

"Mai!" The older girl practically tackled her in a hug.

"Taka! How is studying?"

The exam student wrinkled her nose as she put aside the broom she'd been using. "Don't remind me. More importantly…" She lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "What's the scoop on Norio? Tell me there's something good."

"Oh, I have 'good' alright, but you might be jealous," Mai wiggled her eyebrows.

"How could you—" Taka gasped exaggeratedly with feigned hurt in her eyes.

"In fact, he took me out to dinner the other day—"

"—You vixen!"

"—along with John," Mai finished, and both of them burst into laughter.

"That's it? How boring," Taka rolled her eyes. "What about the president? Any juicy secrets to tell? Gossip-worthy news?"

Mai wrinkled her nose. "As if I would know his juicy secrets. All he does is sit in his office all day."

Taka sighed ruefully. "For working in a supernatural office, our private lives are dreadfully dull." She looked Mai up and down and then placed her hands on her hips. "At any rate, I'm glad you look better now. You've been awfully anxious ever since you got back from that last case."

"Did I look that worried?"

Taka looked taken aback. "Are you telling me you didn't even notice? You kept pinching your eyebrows together so hard I thought you'd get wrinkles, then you'd stare listlessly into space and sigh—ahh! That, right there! You're doing it right now!"

"Huh? What? I am?" The younger student patted her own forehead suspiciously.

"Geez, what am I supposed to do with you?" Taka sighed exaggeratedly. "I mean, I know you aren't exactly a master of introspection, but this is a little too much. Fret not, child, I know just what to do." She pushed Mai into a nearby chair and then took a seat herself, adjusting an imaginary pair of spectacles on her face. "Now then, tell me about your worries."

"Worries? I don't know if it's really my place to say…" When it came down to it, the letters were Naru's own business, after all.

"I see…" Taka looked contemplative for a few minutes. "I think I can more or less guess. Norio told me a bit about what happened on the case."

"Bou-san knows?" She supposed she shouldn't be too surprised. The monk was surprisingly sharp, and he was a die-hard Oliver Davis groupie, after all… or at least, used to be…?

"Hmm, only a little, and he only mentioned it briefly to me, but… as I thought, it's because of Gene after all, isn't it?"

"… What?" The question was so unexpected that Mai couldn't do anything but blink and gape for a few minutes.

"I mean, you've been in low spirits ever since the boss left in August because of Gene, right? You never really said as much in words, but that's how it seemed whenever you talked about him. And, he suddenly appeared again during the case this time…" Taka was peering intently at her face.

"Ahh… now that you mention it…" There had been something like that, hadn't there…? In truth, it had completely slipped her mind with everything else going on, though.

"Hey," she said firmly, "I know it's probably shocking to see him again, but you can't fool yourself into thinking that he's alive, understand? You're still young; it's too early for you to get too attached to a dead person."

Mai waved her hand dismissively. "You sound like an old man when you say that, and anyways, it's nothing like that. I mean, I am happy to see him, but I was never unclear about the fact that he's been dead since before we met. After I found out, I mean. It doesn't change anything."

"Hmm… Isn't that a bit depressing for you, though?" Taka scratched her head dubiously. "When you say you're happy enough with that, it sort of feels like you're not really looking forward."

"Looking forward to what?"

"I dunno… the future, maybe? Not just what you'll do for a job or things like that, but… what you want… you know?" When all she got was a blank shake of the head in response, Taka rubbed her chin. "What I mean is… for example, if you were to close your eyes and imagine yourself in ten years, what would it be like? Surely there's something you're hoping for, right?"

She closed her eyes and tried to picture it, but all she could see was the back of her eyelids. "Well… I'd like to still be friends with you, and everyone else who works here. Don't laugh, but… You guys are sort of like my family, you know?" Working here probably wouldn't be possible by then, but then again, maybe she could still stick around part-time like Ayako and the others did? She could do _some_ exorcism work, after all. "Other than that… a decent job, I suppose, and a heater. Maybe one with kids?"

"By 'one with kids,' are you talking about the job or the heater?" Taka teased, then looked solemn. "You shouldn't ever have to worry about whether we'll be friends. I can't speak for anyone else, but I'm sure they feel the same. As for the job and the heater… well, that's not really what I mean. Those are basic necessities, right? I'm talking about, oh, I don't know… say, if you turned into one of those ghosts or something, what would your lingering attachment be?"

"Even if you ask, it's not like I can think of anything all of a sudden," Mai answered dubiously. "There are plenty if spirits who pass on without anything like that, aren't there?"

"I guess. I haven't really seen any. That's beside the point though."

"Huh… maybe…"

The older student waited, but Mai couldn't think of anything else to say. Taka glanced at the clock on the desk and jumped up suddenly, rushing to pick up her things. "Oh no, it's this late already! I have to be back before six—" She turned back to look at Mai hesitantly, but she gestured to Taka that it was fine.

After Taka had left, Mai sighed and sat at her own desk tiredly. Her coworker tended to get carried away when talking, especially when it came to things like music or other people's love lives. It wasn't that she was usually wrong—on the contrary, she was actually rather sharp—but she definitely liked to exaggerate.

This time, though, she knew there was a hint of undeniable truth in her friend's words. As the office door closed with the tiniest of clicks, she thought she could finally put into words the unease that had been following her.

No one could make promises to be in her future ten years later.

Neither of her parents had been able to, nor had either of their families. Neither, she knew, could Taka or anyone else at SPR. She couldn't even make such a promise to herself. For various reasons, people came and went. Sometimes it was only temporary, sometimes it was permanent.

She had known all of that for a long time. It was a natural part of life, and that was why she lived for the moment while she could; honestly, she was happy the way things were. It was just that when she closed her eyes and thought about the future, she knew that she couldn't depend on any of them to be there. It was depressing, and frustrating, and terrifying, but in its own way, it was proof of just how much she treasured the present.

She thought she'd accepted that reality, yet something about it was still terribly unnerving.

* * *

_October 19, Morning_

The stifling four-hour van trip to Kurahashi's country house was predictably dull. Squished between the reticent Lin and the irritated Naru, there was no one for Mai to even complain to. Yasuhara would also be coming, but not until the next day. Since it was only a preliminary inspection, the rest of the spiritualists had been left behind for now.

The spare key to the mailbox had also been left behind with Madoka. So far, the letters still came in threes and fours, rarely more than five. Madoka would keep an eye on any further activity while they were on the case.

She stuck her hands in her pocket and fiddled with the lining of the cloth, utterly bored. Something hard in her pocket met her fingers, and she explored its papery texture. It was Naru's pack of cards, she realized. She must have forgotten to put it back. There was nothing she could do about it right now, though, so she left it there and glanced at Naru.

"What do you think about the case so far?" She ventured, wondering if he would answer.

"Hmm," he answered noncommittally. It didn't seem like he was completely awake yet. That was good; it meant that no matter how many questions she asked, he wouldn't get annoyed. They would have to be yes or no questions, though; he wasn't exactly eloquent when he was half-asleep.

"Will we be staying there the first night?"

"No," was the short reply.

She nodded. That made sense; Kurahashi's mother had moved out, so the house could more or less be considered an abandoned house. Naru didn't like staying at haunted houses the first few nights unless the clients already lived there.

"Do you think it'll be dangerous?"

A shrug.

"Does it look like there might be a ghost there after all?"

He tilted his head vaguely. Clearly, he wasn't in a very helpful mood.

She looked toward Lin. "How much farther is it?"

"Soon," was all he said—Lin was almost as ill-tempered as Naru when he was driving. She sighed.

They began setting up the equipment outside the house as soon as they arrived at the house. Kurahashi's mother wasn't there, but the man himself was, and he followed behind them as they started putting up the microphones. He didn't offer to lift a finger to help, but he didn't get in the way, either. Mai tried to ignore the unpleasant feeling he gave her and start a conversation with him a few times, but he would only give a short reply and quickly end it. Once in a while, he would ask a brief question of his own, but they were always directed toward Naru and Lin. As expected, the two generally ignored his questions.

"There's no need for the suggestion experiment?" Mai asked.

"Not if the microphones pick up any poltergeisting," Naru answered. "Kurahashi-san's mother is allegedly the only resident, and she's too far away."

"So, where will we be staying for now?"

"The house two doors down. Apparently, Kurahashi-san arranged for things with the family there." There was a trace of suspicion in his voice, but she wasn't sure if she'd just imagined it. "Lin will be staying with the equipment."

"Hey, Naru, do you feel like the neighbors have been watching us for a while?" She asked a bit nervously with a glance at the house next door. The curtains were drawn closed except for a tiny crack, and it was too dark to see inside, but she couldn't shake off the feeling that they were being spied on. It might just be paranoia from the last case, though.

He glanced at her with a sarcastic smile. "It's not often that they get to see a wild animal at their front door."

She turned her head indignantly. "Are you sure they're not just astonished to see the world's biggest narcissist?"

He shrugged. "At least I'm something to look at."

She gave him a withering look, but she was interrupted by Kurahashi's arrival.

"Your assistant told me you've finished setting up the equipment, so if you would like, I can show you where you'll be staying."

Naru nodded and followed him down the street. Like the other houses in the area, their destination was a small but tidy place.

"My mother is close with the owner of this house, so they offered to let us use it while they're out on a trip for the month," Kurahashi said in a flat tone. "Please use it as you will."

"Huh? Kurahashi-san, are you not staying here?"

"No, I'll be staying nearby, but I have to take care of work matters while I'm here as well."

"I see." Being a chief of police sounded like difficult business—he had to work even while he was away on personal matters? Oh, but now that she thought about it, didn't that mean she and Naru would be there alone? Masako was going to murder her, Mai thought.

"Thank you. I believe we'll take a look around the area first," Naru answered curtly, and Kurahashi nodded before turning away and leaving.

Naru waited until the man was well out of sight before swiftly taking hold of her wrist and pulling her away from the house. She was about to ask what was going on, but he pressed a finger to his lips urgently. They walked for at least fifteen or so minutes before they finally stopped in a grassy area with no houses nearby.

"The house may be bugged," he said shortly. "Lin noticed some machine-based interference with our equipment sensors."

She stared at him, not understanding.

"Bugged. There may be listening devices, possibly even cameras."

"Huh?! Why?"

He ignored her question. "You're probably right about the neighbors. They may be officers set up to monitor us."

"Do they… still think you might be a murderer?"

"No. They wouldn't be able to catch a past criminal act with something like this."

"Then why?"

"I have my guesses. I won't be sure until I receive Yasuhara's report tomorrow." His dark eyes fell on her. "Don't say or do anything suspicious inside."

"Suspicious? Like what?"

"I wonder," he muttered. He thought about it for a while, then said, "For now, just don't speak about your dreams or intuition. I don't have much hope in your acting skills anyways."

She scowled, but ignored the jibe and asked, "Are we still going to take the case?"

A slight knit between his eyebrows betrayed his irritation and concern. "We'll still be investigating to see if the cause is paranormal, for now."

She opened her mouth to speak again, but something distracted her attention and she squirmed a bit. Naru followed her gaze to her arm and finally noticed that he was still holding onto her wrist. He immediately let go and turned nonchalantly back in the direction they'd come in.

"Stop wasting time," he said curtly. "We still have a job to do."

* * *

_October 19, Afternoon_

"The chief of police of the Tokyo Special Investigative Unit?!" Takigawa stood up in astonishment, then slowly sank back into his seat again.

"Right," Yasuhara nodded, organizing his papers. "Not as impressive as the Prime Minister, but still a pretty big figure, huh?"

Yasuhara had gathered Ayako, Takigawa and John in the SPR office. By chance, Madoka was there as well; Masako had been invited, but she'd been too busy filming to attend.

"Alright," Takigawa nodded. "So what's the deal with having you gather all of us and giving us the case details beforehand? Little Naru isn't usually this thoughtful."

"This case is a little different," Yasuhara explained delicately. "There's some personal risk involved."

Ayako snorted and rolled her eyes. _When is there not any personal risk?_ was written plainly on her face.

"Shibuya-san seems to have noticed that the house they're staying at has been bugged. There may be undercover officers monitoring them from neighboring houses as well. Judging from what I've been able to gather, the Special Unit is practically drooling to get their hands on some psychics, which may be what this is all about."

"Jeez," the monk sighed tiredly. "Surveillance? That's well beyond illegal, even for a cop. Can't we just sue them?"

"I'm guessing they're well aware that the boss can't afford to go public, and if something like police misconduct gets out, it's bound to be all over the media."

"But what do they have to gain by this? Why not appeal directly to SPR if they need help with cases?" John interjected.

"With that personality of his, do you really think Naru would happily accept?" Ayako asked dryly, and John sighed.

"Still, is there a need for all these sneaky tactics?"

"Hmm," Yasuhara crossed his arms thoughtfully. "I'm guessing that they want to see this so-called psychic ability in action. I don't think they fully believe in it yet either, but they're desperate enough that they're grasping at straws. The Special Unit takes care of crimes without a known cause—that practically screams supernatural phenomena—and their rate of resolved cases is a pitiful 54%."

Takigawa nodded slowly, his eyes closed and fingers pressed to his temple. "And the reason they're suddenly interested in our Naru is because of that case just a week or two ago? That Agawa house case, with that Hirota fellow?"

"It's probable. The boss asked me to look up the court files for the prosecution of Sasukara family—that family that ended up being possessed. As expected, it seems like the 'possession' argument didn't fly at first, but there was enough evidence that their case is in the process of being waived under something like 'circumstances outside the defendants' control.' I'm guessing the Special Unit did some string-pulling as well."

"And so, now we have police who are scared of ghosts," Takigawa stated wryly.

"Exactly." Yasuhara rearranged his documents again. "Shibuya-san is asking everyone to stand on call for this case, but he also left the message: 'If you're afraid of things getting messy, don't even bother coming.'"

John and Takigawa both laughed. "It's been a while since I've heard something like that," John said lightly.

Takigawa agreed. "I almost miss hearing heartwarming things like 'I don't need second-rate spiritualists,' and 'If you're scared, then leave.' If I didn't know any better, though, this time it almost sounds like he's genuinely concerned for us."

"He should be," Ayako grumbled. "Getting involved with the police? This is bound to get messy, especially if they're already pulling such shady tactics. You," she said, jabbing Takigawa, "should also think twice before you start jumping head-first into such messy things."

He elbowed her lightly. "The day I need an old lady to worry about me is the day I have one foot in the grave."

Her eyebrows knit together. "I'm serious this time, you blasphemous monk. When politics gets involved, things can get ugly, fast."

"I know," he admitted, "but it can't be helped. I'm worried about Mai—and little Naru, too."

Her irritation didn't fade; if anything, the crease between her eyebrows deepened. "You're only saying that because you don't know what you're getting into. The ghosts aren't the dangerous part this time. Naru may be an obnoxiously capable paranormal investigator, but he is out of his depth with these conniving old men."

Takigawa was about to say something, but Madoka cut him off. "I understand your sentiments, Takigawa-san, but Matsuzaki-san is correct. I'm truly grateful that you want to help, but I think all of you should consider things carefully first. The same goes for you, Yasuhara-san."

Yasuhara smiled elegantly. "Oh, no need to worry, Mori-san. I'm a bit of a conniving old man myself, so I know what I'm getting into."

She smiled wearily in reply, then exhaled. "Honestly, what is Oliver doing, coming back so soon? I'm glad that he's found something he wants to do, but of all the reckless things… It's only been two months since he turned in a corpse, for heaven's sake; did he think that wouldn't attract unnecessary attention?"

Yasuhara laughed. "Oh, don't be too hard on him, Mori-san. Youth is all about adventure, right? And besides, they say love makes fools out of all of us."

"Look here, young man, even if you are a good catch, you're supposed to be a little more modest about it," Takigawa complained.

"Me?" Yasuhara looked genuinely surprised. "I'm flattered by your compliment, but regretfully, I'm not talking about myself this time. Of course, it's not like I know the boss' circumstances, but I suspect his personal feelings must have played a role in his decision."

"What? Are you saying you're not just fooling around with us again?" Takigawa peered suspiciously at the college student. "Who's the unlucky victim? Don't tell me Masako actually..."

"Oh, come on, it's _obvious_," Ayako butted in. "His personality is what it is, but he's always been suspiciously nice to Mai, especially when he thinks no one is looking."

Madoka coughed delicately and interrupted with a graceful smile. "Oliver's personal life aside, I'm still a bit concerned about the arrangements for this case. Yasuhara-san, you're going over tomorrow, right?"

Yasuhara nodded. "I'll be leaving first thing in the morning."

"I'm coming, too," Takigawa spoke up, ignoring Ayako's scathing glare. "I'll drive you, and anyone else who wants to come."

She shook her head in annoyance. "You really are hopeless," she told him. "I guess I have no choice but to come along and look after your sorry self."

John smiled apologetically. "I won't be able to leave tomorrow, but if you need me, I'll be free starting two days from now."

Yasuhara nodded. "Then, that's settled. Takigawa-san, it looks like we'll be relying on your expert chauffeuring as usual."

* * *

_October 20, Early Morning_

Ayako was the first of the three about-to-be travelers to the SPR office the morning, which wasn't a surprise considering that Takigawa always slept in, and Yasuhara was a college student. Madoka was there already as well, looking frazzled. When the researcher spotted Ayako, she put on a tired smile and sat down on the couch to greet her.

"Hard day already?" Ayako asked wryly.

Madoka grimaced. "It's the usual—funding wars and politics and so forth. Sponsors are always trying to pull researchers off the field and into the lab to do psychic experiments. They're getting particularly fussy lately."

"Ah," Ayako said understandingly. "They want profitable results. Guessing the stock market and things like that?"

"More or less," Madoka sighed. "I wish Luella were here to deal with them. Last time, she exploded right in their faces and said, 'If you like sticking tubes in little boys so much, go see a psychiatrist instead!'"

The priestess raised an eyebrow in admiration. "Luella?"

"Oliver and Eugene's mother. You saw her once this summer."

"Oh, right. I knew there was something I liked about her."

"She's tough as nails," Madoka agreed. "And lucky enough not to be involved in these pointless fights. Meanwhile, I have to smile and bow my head and pretend to be sorry for the inconvenience, but we really can't spare any researchers! No, that wasn't in their contract! As if I care what your profit margin was last year!" She buried her face in her hands tiredly.

Ayako patted the other woman's back soothingly. "I know what you mean. Politics always seems to be shadowing everything else. I've seen it all at my family's hospital."

"Even a hospital has these little games, huh? I suppose I shouldn't be surprised," Madoka shook her head. "Sometimes, I think that ghosts are a lot nicer than people. They may be murderous and dangerous, but at least what they want is usually something simple."

"Something like 'you don't know what you really want until you can't have it anymore'?"

"Probably. I just hope it never comes to that for me."

They both sighed again in agreement when the office door opened again, and Takigawa and Yasuhara burst in. The former had the decency to look ashamed for his tardiness, but the smile on Yasuhara's face showed no trace of guilt.

"Just so you know, it wasn't my fault," Takigawa blurted. "This young man here was picking up girls—"

"Collecting the results of my research," Yasuhara corrected, waving a bundle of papers in the air. "I hired them to make copies of some documents at the library yesterday. 'The more the merrier,' right?"

"Couldn't you have collected your research a bit earlier? I—"

"No one's interested in your excuses," Ayako cut in. "Just get driving, Monk."

He hung his head in defeat. "Yes, Your Majesty."

* * *

_October 20, Morning_

"Naru, wake up! Hey, lazyhead!" Mai kicked on her boss' bedroom door, well aware that if left to his own devices, she wouldn't be seeing any sign of him until noon. She waited three minutes, then pounded on the door again.

Finally, she was rewarded by the opening of the door and the appearance of a very irritated young man. "Before you start harping on my sleeping habits, maybe you should reflect on all the times you've fallen asleep in the middle of the day during a case," he said acidly, but the sting was taken out of his words by the slur of sleep that lingered in his voice.

"I brought you coffee," she said sweetly, and he accepted the peace offering with a sigh.

"We'll check the readings from last night first," he said, shrugging on his jacket. She nodded and went to retrieve her own coat.

Mai shivered as she stepped outside into the chilly morning air. During the few seconds she had been appreciating the crisp morning scenery, Naru had already gotten well ahead of her. She caught up in a few quick strides.

"We'll be meeting Yasuhara and the others at a nearby café after this," he murmured in a barely audible voice, still looking straight ahead. "Stop acting suspicious," he added sharply when she was about to turn her head to stare at the neighbors' windows.

"Oops," she mumbled, coughing delicately into her hand to cover up her slip-up. Anxiously, she wondered if she might have done something else suspicious unconsciously, or blurted something out last night on accident.

"You can't possibly perform any lower than my expectations for you," he said, as if he'd read her mind.

"Gee, thanks," she told him sarcastically, but she was more than a little relieved.

Lin was already going over the video feed from last night when they arrived at the target house. His clothes were slightly wrinkled, indicating that he had probably slept in the van. When he noticed them approaching, he took off his headphones.

"Anything in the recordings?" Naru asked tonelessly.

"Nothing unusual in the video feed. A few light rapping noises on the microphones, but it's hard to say if it's poltergeisting or simple interference."

Naru nodded and turned to look at the other screens. "Temperature readings are more or less normal," he murmured to himself. He sensed Mai leaning in to peer over his shoulder, and the tips of her hair brushed past his ear.

"Air pressure and air circulation in the outer rooms are normal as well," she announced.

He glanced at the data in question. "You can actually tell what those mean?"

She stuck her tongue out at him. "I didn't spend a year and a half on this job for nothing."

"Not bad, for the proverbial monkey on a typewriter."

"Well, _Mori-san_ is better about explaining things than a certain _somebody._"

"In other words, Madoka breaks every piece of equipment she touches, so she roped you into being her slave, and you couldn't tell the difference between compulsory labor and good intentions." He jotted down the numbers onto the case file as he spoke.

"Are you sure _I'm_ the idiot who doesn't know what good intentions are? Mister the-words-please-and-thank-you-aren't-in-my-dictionary?" She was taking out and labeling the cassettes and tapes with the ease of long practice, placing the ones to be reused in a pile and storing the others in a box.

"Quite. Do you even know what the word 'intentions' means?"

"I am in high school, you know!"

"Where you do remarkably well, I'm sure."

She ignored him pointedly and finished stowing away the tapes. Lin had also finished going over last night's recordings, so he put down his pen. "Lin, continue watching the feed and anything else for unusual signs," he ordered, with the tiniest of stresses on _anything else_. "If all goes well, we'll start setting up equipment inside the house today. First, we'll take another look at the neighboring areas, though."

He looked at Mai and she nodded, following him in the direction of the thicker residential area.

"The reaction is less than expected, even for the first day—not a very strong ghost, then?" She asked, walking at a brisk pace to keep up with his longer strides.

"It doesn't seem to be, if there is a ghost at all. But that doesn't mean there's no danger." He glanced at her. "Do _try_ to stay away from reckless actions this time."

"Nothing happened last time!"

"Thoughtlessly charging into the midst of potential murderers—"

"I _helped_. You would have been skewered if not for me."

"You have no evidence to back up that assertion."

"Neither do you," she shot back. "It's not being reckless if I thought things through."

"You can think?" He asked dryly. "Besides, if leaving the clients behind without any form of protection counts as thinking things through, you ought to be banned from thinking."

"They were safe. The path was blocked off. And Masako was there," she said stubbornly.

"Hara-san is an excellent medium but a poor last resort for physical self-defense."

"I'm not exactly a judo champion myself."

"You can use the Nine Cuts, at least. And," he added under his breath, "your skull is thick enough to use as a weapon."

"Just admit it. I saved you, and your poor little pride is wounded," she said smugly.

He looked away in irritation. "Nonetheless, there's no guarantee that you'll get lucky twice."

"'Lucky,'" she scoffed.

"Lucky," he repeated firmly, and she didn't argue this time.

The others were already waiting at the café in question by the time the two of them arrived. Ayako and Takigawa broke off from whatever they were arguing about when Yasuhara waved cheerfully in their direction.

"Oh, little lady, glad to see you're still whole and healthy," Takigawa said with a grin.

"What's that supposed to mean?" She asked suspiciously.

"Nothing, nothing. Just make sure you stay away from wells and holes in the ground," he said, flashing another grin in Yasuhara's direction.

She glared at him even more suspiciously, but it was Yasuhara who spilled.

"We have a bit of a bet going on about what kind of trouble you'll charge into this time," he said honestly, his ever-present smile still gracing his face. "Ayako's put her money on ghostly possession, and Takigawa-san thinks you'll fall into a hole again—"

"Why are you _telling _her?" Takigawa protested.

"—but _I_ told him that first of all, you hate to be predictable, so of course you wouldn't end up in the same state three times in a row, and second of all, I have _complete faith_ in you, so naturally, you'll be safe and sound. You just might accidentally get locked in a dark room for a few hours or something."

"Why, you—" Mai's protest was cut off as Yasuhara took her hands with an earnest look on face.

"That's why, Taniyama-san, for the sake of both of our futures, if you see a dark, suspicious-looking room, please do not hesitate to enter."

Naru tapped his case file with irritation. "If you're all finished with the idle chatter, I would like to finish our work sometime today."

"Of course, boss. My apologies," Yasuhara said smoothly, taking out a stack of papers.

Beside him, Takigawa muttered something like, "You know, young man, I'm beginning to think you might actually be right," and it didn't sound like he was talking about the bet.

Yasuhara spread out a couple of graphs and charts out on the table. "First of all, regarding the terrain around here—it doesn't seem like there are any significant subterranean groundwater deposits or waterways nearby, so land subsidence is out as a cause for the rapping noises. There was heavy rainfall much earlier this year, but it was earlier than the reported time of the noises, so the reason is likely not expanding of the wood due to moisture."

Naru nodded. "Probably not a climate-related problem, then. Local history?"

"There was a traffic accident in this area twenty-six years ago. Three deaths. I couldn't find the victims' names or addresses, though. In fact," he said, his voice serious now, "there was a great deal I couldn't find about this area, almost as if it'd been intentionally hidden."

Naru didn't look surprised. "The house's purchase history? And the neighbors?"

"The house in question does seem to have been purchased in the past few months, as stated, but the purchaser was not 'Kurahashi,' nor any member of his family."

"So the possibility that he borrowed the house to use as a setup is high."

"Yes. The neighbors' house purchases all appear normal, and I didn't question them directly to avoid suspicion, but I heard from a few people at the local library that a lot of the neighbors around that area have been off on vacation for some reason, and there were a lot of strangers walking around there about a week ago."

Ayako sighed. "They must have paid off the residents to use their houses. They really aren't sparing their budget for this little game."

"And the case files?" Naru urged, and Yasuhara grabbed a fresh stack of documents.

"Right, as you suggested, I went over the documents from the Sasukara case and the data we supplied. We only gave them hard numbers, of course—enough to indicate that there was something beyond their comprehension going on, but nothing specific about ghosts or psychic powers. The Agawas and Hirota-san also provided witness testimony about their visions and the Sasukaras' unnatural behavior."

Naru nodded, a crease between his eyebrows as he thought. "So it's likely that the Unit is still relatively unfamiliar with the details of supernatural phenomena. My psychometry is documented, of course, so they'll have no problem accessing information about that. Other than that, they only have Hirota's pitiful descriptions to go by."

Yasuhara agreed. "I'm guessing they're more interested in ESP than exorcising or anything like that. Their primary weakness is lack of ability to gather information about their cases, after all. In that case, you, Hara-san, and Taniyama-san should be their primary targets, since you all displayed clairvoyant abilities during the case."

Takigawa cleared his throat guiltily. "I may have also mentioned Lin's vision in one of his eyes," he admitted. "So that makes four of you."

Ayako nodded. "And Masako is a celebrity, so she has some degree of protection."

"Plus, the Agawas and even Hirota himself had visions during the case despite not being psychics, so doubtless the Unit is a bit at a loss," Takigawa added.

"Which is why they're going through the trouble of baiting out our abilities with this case," Naru stated, tapping the black case file. "They borrowed a house that fit the profile of the cases we normally take, and they've hidden the necessary information so that we have no other way to access what we need."

"Why not just give up on the case?" Ayako suggested. "They might even come to the conclusion that ghosts and psychic powers don't exist after all and leave well alone."

Naru ignored her. "At any rate, Yasuhara, keep looking for information about that traffic accident. Report if there's anything they haven't managed to hide. The locals might know something. The rest of you should lay low for now. It's best if they don't know you're here unless it's necessary."

The others nodded and began to stand up, collecting their belongings. Naru skimmed through Yasuhara's documents one last time before tossing the papers back and standing up. As he exited the café without a word, Mai hurried to catch up to him.

"Naru…" She began uncertainly. "You're not thinking of using your psychometry, are you?"

"I don't make rash, uneducated decisions," he said delicately, but he didn't deny it.

"You can't," she said urgently, grabbing hold of his sleeve. "What if they find out?"

He brushed her fingers away in annoyance. "Unless the vision involves a death or serious injury, it's impossible to tell when I'm using it. Least of all for them, since they aren't even educated about this subject."

"But the ghost might have been in a traffic accident," she argued.

"Oh, so you were listening after all?"

"Naru!"

He shrugged. "I'll cut the vision off early if it looks dangerous."

"But…"

"It may not come to that if Yasuhara can find more information first."

She looked uncertain still, but more or less appeased for the moment. "How does your psychometry work, anyways? Will it work on anything?"

"There are books about ESP," he said pointedly. "Go read them."

"They're all in English. Besides, you know, so why not just tell me?"

He ignored her.

"Madoka told me looots of interesting stories about your childhood," she threatened.

His brow creased in displeasure and he sighed. "The more the object has absorbed the owner's presence or emotions, the more information I can get. Things worn or carried often, or things of great emotional value work the best."

She nodded, digesting the information. "Are we setting up the inside of the house now?"

"Complaining again?"

"Hmph." She folded her arms, but a thought suddenly occurred to her. "Will this house be bugged as well?"

"Most likely."

"And we still have to set up cameras, too?" She asked dubiously.

"Unless you want to ask the police nicely for the tapes they've been recording secretly and illegally."

She sighed in resignation.

* * *

As Lin and Naru stayed behind to look over the data one more time, Mai went inside alone, tape measure and thermometer in hand. The house had a small entryway, a kitchen, a living room, and a dining room on the first floor, as well as two other rooms. The dining room had a back door leading to the yard behind, but it was securely locked. There were also two rooms and a bathroom on the second floor.

Everything looked in pristine order; whoever lived here must have tidied up well before leaving. There were very few personal belongings lying around, and even the kitchen was barely stocked with utensils or cooking ware. As she measured the temperature of the kitchen, a chill ran down her spine. She looked around, but no one was there.

When she went outside again, the other two had finished prepping the equipment and were just about to start hauling it in.

"I think we should double-check the kitchen," she told Naru in a low voice. He looked at her sharply and nodded.

The house was small—small in comparison to the grand villas and large, empty schoolhouses she'd gotten accustomed to—so the unloading wasn't nearly as bad as usual, although she was still left with a mild sore in her muscles that wouldn't be going away for a day or two. When the various cameras had been put in place and the base had been set up in one of the downstairs rooms, they gathered one by one in the kitchen.

Naru had arrived first and was already standing there, a contemplative look on his face. She looked at him questioningly, but he shook his head. "Let's leave for today and see what turns up."

Mai nodded and was just about to follow the two of them out when something like a _creak_ resounded in her mind. Was she just imagining it? She took another step and froze. _Creak_. Definitely not her imagination, but it wasn't really a sound, either.

She looked down at her feet. Was there something there? She knelt down and probed the wooden floor, trying to look for the source of whatever she was sensing.

"Taniyama-san?" Lin's voice broke through her thoughts, and she saw that the two of them had turned around to look at her.

"I felt…" She suddenly stopped, remembering that the house might be bugged. "I, um, dropped something," she finished lamely.

Naru knelt down as well, and his vision quickly focused on a loose board. With some difficulty, he pried it off the ground to reveal some sort of latch. Pulling on it, it became apparent that part of the kitchen floor was some sort of trapdoor.

"Flashlight," he ordered, and Lin disappeared, returning quickly with said item.

Under the flashlight's beam, they saw a metal ladder leading down from the trapdoor into a small, wooden room. It was dusty, but otherwise tidy enough, and there was a row of wooden shelves lining one wall. Most of the shelves were empty, but a few were stocked with wine bottles. A wine cellar, perhaps?

"This wasn't in the building plans they gave us," Naru murmured under his breath, barely audible. "Did they know…?"

Mai was the first one down the ladder, with Naru following close behind. She sneezed as the dust entered her nose, then waved away the air in front of her face. The flashlight beam scanned across the room, finally falling on something colorful in an out-of-place looking desk in one corner.

"Naru, I found something," she called, leaning down to examine it.

He walked over and knelt down as well. Colorful stationary was spread across the desk. A girl's name was written on one of the papers, but the rest of the desk was empty. He could feel a strong presence engrained in the wood of the desk—a middle school girl's. Should he try it? He glanced around the cellar; he didn't think they could have planted anything in this room, even if they wanted to. The only opening was the trapdoor, and any wires running through there would have been easy to spot.

Taking a breath, he closed his eyes and laid a hand on the desk. A cheerful girl—her room was upstairs, and she dashed down quickly—the cellar was her personal hideout, it seemed—a family trip—a car—the radio—suddenly, a shout—headlights, coming at them—the other driver's face, twisted in alarm—screams—

"Naru!"

His shoulder was violently shaken, and he snapped back to reality. At some point, he had sunk against the wall and was sitting against it. Mai was leaning over him, a worried look on her face.

"Don't be so noisy."

"But—"

"It was nothing," he said shortly.

She looked at him dubiously and held out a hand to help him up, which he ignored in favor of propping himself up against the wall. After a few breaths, he felt his blood circulating normally again and headed back for the ladder.

"There's nothing else of interest down here," he said, and she followed him up.

"Did you find anything?" Lin asked once they were back in the kitchen, the trapdoor lid back in place.

"Nothing of note," Naru said tonelessly.

One look at Mai's face was enough to give the game away, but the older man seemed to have decided not to question it and nodded. Once again, Naru was reminded that she was the absolute worst player to have on your team in any game of deception.

His blood suddenly ran cold. If Gene meddled unnecessarily again and transmitted his vision to her…

_Gene_, he thought fiercely, _if you dare poke your nose in this right now, I swear by all things holy that I will make your afterlife hell._

* * *

**A/N:** Unfortunately this chapter turned out a bit (a lot) longer than usual... It was meant to be two separate chapters, but I realized while editing that nothing really _happens_ in the first half.

Also, just so I don't lead anyone on, I do want to say in advance that, even though it kills me, this is going to be a sloooow romance, largely because I can't imagine anything that would jump-start their relationship so quickly short of an imminent meteor strike, and I'm not interested in writing an apocalypse story for now. Even if I say that, though, I do enjoy building up their relationship bit by bit. But, ahh, it's so slow... It's sort of a mixed bag, I guess.

In other news, I feel like Yasuhara's character is pushing suspension of disbelief even for a series with ghosts and psychics and monsters. Really, a college student with good grades, a demanding job, an active social life, and no signs of debilitating sleep deprivation? As I'm sitting on the end of finals week, it's hard not to resent him a little.

To wrap things up, thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! And a huge thanks to all of you incredible people who left such encouraging reviews. I never know what to say in reply but I appreciate each and every single one of you to bits.


	4. Chapter 4

_October 20, Late Night_

A middle school girl and her family, caught in a head-on collision with another vehicle.

Yasuhara had said there had been three deaths. Naru replayed the scene in his mind—both cars had been roughly the same size; the girl and her father had been sitting in front; in the other car, there had only been the driver. Those were probably the three who had died, then. Was the father a ghost as well, or just the girl?

Either way, he had enough information for Takigawa or Matsuzaki or even Mai to perform an exorcism or purification. Lin would need a bit more, but it would be a simple matter of checking the obituaries. The ghosts didn't seem to be particularly dangerous, either, so there was no rush. The problem wasn't the exorcism itself.

What exactly did the police want to do by setting up this case? How much would they be satisfied with? How would they react to whatever they did? Would things turn ugly if they didn't get what they wanted?

If he simply displayed his psychometry, perhaps they would be satisfied with continuing to pester him with more pointless requests. That might be the best case scenario; after all, if the department was as desperate as Yasuhara had made it sound, he couldn't imagine them simply leaving them alone.

On the other hand, if they got the feeling that Naru and the others were hiding something, or if they smelled the possibility that they might be able to get their hands on more psychics… He didn't like where that line of thought took him.

He and Lin would be annoyed, but fine, since their international status and SPR's protection gave them some measure of immunity. Hara would also be fine; as a celebrity, her managers would be used to dealing with all sorts of unsavory attacks, and her fame meant that the police couldn't mess around with her as they pleased without consequences. John was a high-ranking clergy, and practically a saint besides, so they wouldn't be able to do anything to him. Frankly, Matsuzaki and Takigawa didn't have enough spiritual sensitivity to be of interest, and anyways, they were adults who could take care of themselves anyways.

That left Mai. At first glance, her sixth sense wasn't anything impressive, but if they knew enough about her abilities, she had precisely the sort of talent the police would want—instincts that led investigations in the right direction, and a nose for danger. He could only hope that they left it at "at first glance." Moreover, as an orphan, she was in a uniquely vulnerable position; if they got their hands on her criminal record, her future prospects could be utterly shot.

Could he do anything about it? Perhaps have her transferred to another SPR branch? She didn't know enough of any other language to make living in a foreign country bearable, but truth be told, her adaptive skills weren't poor, so learning the language after going might not be terrible. She did have some knowledge of English, after all—enough to get a foothold.

He shook his head. It was much too early to be thinking so pessimistically. The priority right now was solving this case in a way that would satisfy those insipid fools at the Tokyo Special Investigative Unit. He would have to check with Yasuhara tomorrow to see if he'd found anything.

Slowly, he stood up and put aside the case file in his hand to turn off the lights to his room. It was then that he felt, rather than heard, the sharp, ragged intake of breath in the adjacent room. Before his cerebrum had fully processed the source of the sound—almost reflexively—he had slid open the door and was already in the next room.

_Gene, what the hell are you doing?_ He whispered viciously.

Her limbs were tangled in her futon, her shoulders heaving violently, as if fighting something that didn't exist. Her eyes were clenched shut, and she was shivering, whether from fear or from cold, he didn't know.

He grabbed her arm as the first hoarse scream dragged out of her throat. Patting her cheek, he called in a low but urgent voice, "Mai!"

She opened her eyes, but they were unfocused. She muttered something over and over, and only on the last few repeats did he catch the words, "—turn—don't hit!"

"Mai!" He repeated sharply, and she stopped.

Slowly, she seemed to wake up, looking around the dim room wildly. Her breathing seemed strained, as if something were stuck in her throat.

"Breathe," he commanded.

She took in a deep breath, and the rise and fall of her chest fell into a steady rhythm. "The car," she muttered, her voice still hoarse. "Blue. Father was drinking. Shouldn't. Didn't see—"

"It was a just a nightmare," he said evenly, and her eyes regained their focus. She nodded jerkily, understanding the warning behind his words. She was still shivering, so he drew the scattered blankets back over her. "Wait here," he said, then disappeared.

He returned a few minutes later with a cup of warm tea. She took it gratefully and murmured, "Thank you."

There was a long silence, and he finally asked, "Did you see him?"

She shook her head.

He sighed. "Will you be fine alone?"

This time, she didn't answer.

With another sigh, he sat down, leaning against the wall behind him. "Go to sleep," he ordered.

She looked first surprised, then perplexed, then hopeful, all in the span of a few seconds. Nodding obediently for once, she lay back down and closed her eyes. Her sleep seemed to be peaceful this time, her breath shallow and steady and no trace of tension in her face.

Relieved, he closed his eyes and turned his thoughts back to where he had left off. He would have to see what Yasuhara might have managed to collect tomorrow…

* * *

_October 21, Early Morning_

Mai rubbed the sleep from her eyes the next morning and pushed the blankets away as she sat up and stretched, feeling unusually refreshed for having had a nightmare the night before. A car accident. The father had been drinking that night; she shivered, recalling the young girl's guilt for not stopping him, and her terror as the blue car approached—

Her grip on the blankets tightened, and she drove the image away. Had Gene been trying to tell her something? She hadn't seen him even after going back to sleep. She glanced around—and her hands flew to her mouth to cover the startled gasp that almost escaped.

Naru was still sitting against the wall, fast asleep. She'd assumed that he would have left right after she'd gone to sleep. Had he been here all night? What if he'd caught a cold? It was already October, and it was getting chilly. Guiltily, she tiptoed to the closet and found the spare blankets, draping them over him. He stirred, but didn't wake up.

Ahh, he really was obnoxiously handsome, she thought. Wasn't it a bit unfair that he didn't even drool or snore embarrassingly in his sleep? Or even sleep-talk and blurt out all his shameful secrets. If people were assigned looks based on how good their personalities were, he wouldn't be half so smug.

What should she do now? It was too early to wake him, and she didn't feel like going back to sleep, either. Sitting there and staring at his face, while tempting, was too embarrassing and unproductive of an option. She got up and brushed her teeth, then wandered into the kitchen to put the water on boil as she tried to sort through her dream again.

Naru had used psychometry yesterday in the cellar, she was certain. Gene must have transmitted the scene to her telepathically, so Naru must already know everything in the dream. There was no point in telling it to him again, even without the added risks of being overheard. Why had Gene transmitted it, then? Was he trying to emphasize that it was important? Was he trying to tell her something? Or tell Naru something? Why hadn't he appeared? She had waited, yet he hadn't appeared.

No matter how hard she concentrated, her thoughts only ended up going in circles, so she gave up and went back to making coffee. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed an elegant blue lighter lying in a corner of the kitchen, and she picked it up to inspect it. Had it been there when they'd first arrived? She didn't think it was Naru's, and it certainly wasn't hers.

She shrugged and turned back to stirring.

Mai was already gone when Naru woke up, and he didn't notice the blankets around him until he stood up, and they fell to the ground. He folded them back up and placed them in a corner of the room, then headed straight for the bathroom.

The square mirror above the sink was visible the moment he entered. His twin smiled ambiguously at him from the other side.

_You idiot,_ was the first thing Naru said.

_(It's nice to see you too, Noll_.)

_Useless._ _Hurry up and pass on already._

_ (Somehow, I knew you would say that.)_ Gene's voice sounded amused.

Naru sighed. _I hope you know you have some explaining to do._

His twin's voice sobered quickly. _(I know what you're thinking. It wasn't me.)_ He hesitated. _(I can't get into her dreams at all lately.)_

Naru's eyebrows drew together in concern. _Why not?_

_(Her wavelength is a bit disoriented. She's distracted, or maybe confused—it's like trying to call out to someone wearing headphones.)_

_ How did she receive that telepathy, then?_

He could sense Gene contemplating. _(She probably did it on her own, unconsciously. I may have helped her draw out her abilities, but they were originally always hers, after all. And—)_ His brother's voice shifted into a clear, deliberate cadence, the sort of voice he used when discussing his research. _(It's not exactly telepathy. I transmit the psychic stimuli you receive to her, but she interprets them with her own extrasensory perception. That's why her visions are slightly different, more first-person. It may also have to do with the differences in your personalities.)_

_ The father was drunk_, Naru recalled. _I didn't notice that_.

_(He wasn't visibly drunk. That's probably why. But the girl was thinking about it the whole time.)_

_ So then, why is she receiving telepathy for no reason? Did you leave the line open?_ Naru's voice had a hint of accusation to it.

_(No, the line is only there when I deliberately connect it. It could be her natural post-cognitive sight. Or maybe that psychic pathway has become familiar to her.)_

_ Due to your meddling._

His twin only smiled in reply.

_(Noll.)_

_ What is it?_

_ (Stop dawdling.)_

He stayed silent.

_(Just hurry up and kiss her or something.)_

A scowl crept up his face. _You should have stayed alive so you could do that yourself._

_ (You don't actually mean that.)_ His twin pointed out amiably.

Naru rubbed the bridge of his nose with a sigh of resignation. _Only half of it._

_ (You know, it's not so bad being dead, actually… At least…)_

But Gene's voice faded away before he could hear the rest of his sentence. Naru kept staring at his twin—no, at his own reflection—for several more minutes. Eventually, still thoroughly unsatisfied by the less than conclusive conversation, Naru returned to his own room to pick up his discarded case file from last night.

When he left the room again, Mai was already sitting at the table in the dining room, staring dazedly out the window. She had a cup of coffee—two creams, two sugars, he knew—in one hand, and was absentmindedly tracing patterns in the table with a blue lighter with the other hand. The morning light filtered in through the half-closed shutters in such a way that they perfectly struck her brown hair, making it gleam with sparks of gold.

"Mai," he said, for no reason in particular.

She jumped a little, startled out of her reverie, and looked at him questioningly.

"Isn't a bit too early to start dozing off already?"

The corner of her mouth twitched in mild annoyance, and her lips parted reflexively to retort—as always, a few seconds before her brain caught up to supply a suitable comment. Sometimes it never caught up at all.

"I wouldn't have to, if _someone_ hadn't spent half an hour in the bathroom _preening,_" she told him.

He was feeling gracious enough to let her have this round, so he sat down in front of the other cup of coffee she'd made and turned his attention to the object in her hand instead. "Where did you find that?" He asked. He couldn't remember her ever carrying a lighter around, and blue wasn't a color she normally picked.

"It was in a corner of the kitchen, on the ground." She held it out to him.

He took it and turned it around in his fingers. There was a presence clinging to it—faint, but that person must have carried it around with him for some time. A short man with neatly trimmed hair—lighting a cigarette—entering this house—talking with a woman. Kurahashi's.

She was watching him expectantly, waiting for him to say something, but he changed the topic. "Mai, go look over the equipment with Lin for now."

"You're going out alone?" She asked, dissatisfaction etched clearly on her face.

He gave her a short nod and headed outside. She dumped both coffee mugs in the sink and followed behind quickly. When he turned left instead of right at the street outside, he heard her footsteps stop.

She drew in a breath and hesitated, as if searching for something to say, then finally called, "Be careful!"

* * *

_Day 10, Noon_

Yasuhara was waiting in front of the local library, and Ayako and Takigawa had evidently tagged along, to Naru's convenience for once.

"Any further information on what the Unit's precise goals are?" He asked.

Yasuhara shook his head. "I probed their secretarial staff and a few interns—discreetly, of course—but none of them even had a clue that this was going on. Whatever they have planned, only the top brass seem to be privy to it."

"There's no choice, then. We'll have to distract their attention from whatever it is they want. Takigawa-san, do you feel up to performing an exorcism? As flashy as possible."

"Of course—" The monk began, but Ayako interrupted him.

"If you're trying to have him act as bait, that's out of the question," she said bluntly. "I won't have you trying to push the attention on you onto him. It's not even a big deal to you, is it? You may find it pesky, but you're well protected, legally. The rest of us might as well be sitting ducks if some sort of shady business starts up."

Naru looked at her steadily. "Matsuzaki-san, I don't believe I asked for your opinion. As I stated in my message, if you were scared, you should have stayed in Tokyo."

"Don't think I came here because I wanted to see your face. Someone has to look out for this empty-headed monk because he doesn't know how to turn down a request for help, and he's far too trusting of you, which I'm sure you knew full well."

"That's a little harsh," Takigawa said, scratching his head with a half-hearted grin. "Look, Ayako, I know you're just worried, but I know my own limits. Besides," he joked, "It just feels strange to have you concerned about me for once when you can't even do a proper exorcism on your own yet."

It was the wrong thing to say. "Well then, pardon me for having a head on my shoulders!" She spat, glaring at him. "Go and risk your own neck if you want to, but I'll have no part of this."

As she stormed off, Takigawa rubbed his neck regretfully. "Ahh… I shouldn't have said that. I just blurted out what I would usually say, but she was seriously mad this time."

Naru said nothing, and Yasuhara smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry, she's only angry because she's concerned. Judging from what she's said of her past, it seems like she has pretty bad memories of these sorts of things. I'm sure she'll forgive you once she's calmed down."

"Yeah…" Takigawa nodded absently. "I'll treat her to a drink later and try to persuade her. Never mind that for now, though—what about the exorcism again?"

"One, possibly two ghosts—the man who caused the traffic accident twenty-six years ago due to drunk driving, and his daughter, trapped by guilt for the accident. The center of activity is the dining room," Naru explained tonelessly.

The monk nodded. "You think they'll be satisfied with that?"

Naru shrugged, knowing he wasn't referring to the ghosts. "Since they're amateurs, they won't have a clear idea of what they're looking for. Something that conforms to their preconceived notions of what 'psychic abilities' look like will easily convince them."

"Alright. So you want me to dress up, wave my vajra around convincingly, and so forth? Mumble a bit about spirits and the other world?"

"Their primary motive is ESP, so act as much as possible like you're seeing ghosts or receiving information from unknown sources. I also plan on 'demonstrating' something or other later today. With that much, they should be satisfied."

"I see. If you're using yourself as a decoy as well, you're not actually trying to find a scapegoat, are you?" Takigawa asked thoughtfully. "At any rate, I have to collect my tools from the hotel before I do the exorcism, and I'd prefer to consult with Yasuhara to try to make the act more convincing. How urgent is the exorcism?"

"The spirits don't appear to be aggressive. Tomorrow should be fine."

* * *

_Day 10, Afternoon_

"The lowest recorded temperature was in the dining room—a seven degree difference," Mai noted, examining the screen. "Probably where the spirits are, then?"

Lin didn't say anything, but his silence was more or less a sign of tacit approval.

"Where is Kurahashi-san, anyways? He's usually here by now."

"He called this morning to say he would be late due to sudden trouble," Lin said briefly. She nodded and returned to looking at the screen.

"Distinct rapping sounds, noticeable electrostatic imbalance, and shifts in the air flow. That should be decent data, right? What is Naru's research, anyways? He's always vague and saying 'evidence that ghosts exist' and things like that, but he actually has some theory in mind, right? I bet he just doesn't want to explain because he thinks it's troublesome."

Lin shrugged, which more or less meant "I know, but I don't feel like explaining, either." Sometimes, Mai wondered how she ended up in the company of so many people who resembled rocks more often than not, but she supposed that a certain deal of blockheadedness was necessary when dealing with dead people all the time. Something like "fight fire with fire"? Or maybe it was more like "birds of a feather flock together." What did that make her, then?

She was going through the video feed from early morning when a wisp of green on screen caught her eye. Rewinding the tape, it looked like a corner of fabric from somewhere off-screen that had been blown into the frame by a gust of wind, but first of all, there was no wind inside according to the air flow sensors, and second of all, the camera was pointed at the middle of the dining room. The only hanging fabric in that room was the curtain in front of the back door, and it wasn't green. She let the video keep playing, and the fabric disappeared. Then, the screen began to blur, and just before it faded completely into static, she saw a human silhouette.

Hastily, she rewinded the tape again and stopped it precisely on that frame. It was nothing more than a silhouette, and the static made even that much hard to make out, but it was unmistakably a person. As she straightened up excitedly, she noticed that Naru had just happened to come back right then.

"You found something?" He said immediately when he saw her stand up suddenly.

"A spirit, I think. It's on tape." She pointed to the screen.

He walked over and leaned in to gaze at the screen with intense concentration. After a minute, he rewinded the tape and let it play from before the fabric had first appeared.

"I can't believe we actually managed to get one on tape. I guess it's even worth all these… inconveniences?" She gestured vaguely at their surroundings.

The corner of his mouth pulled down for the tiniest fraction of a second as if he were about to disagree, but it was so brief that she thought she must have imagined it. Instead of answering, he said, "The camera needs adjusting."

She looked back at the screen. Sure enough, the video had forwarded ten minutes since the ghost's appearance, but it was still nothing but static. She kept fast-forwarding until it had caught up with real time, but there was still nothing. "I'll go fix it," she said, but he suddenly stopped her.

"Wait." He looked like he was deep in concentration. "Were the spirits here strong enough to materialize on screen?"

"Huh? Now that you mention it… Kurahashi-san mentioned rapping noises and the disappearance of small items, but nothing like seeing ghosts. And there aren't any rumors about this house, either, other than from the people who lived here."

"It's possible that the spirits are distorting. They might have absorbed all the negative emotions nearby." He glanced accusingly at the neighboring house, whose windows were still drawn closed except for a crack. "It doesn't matter; Takigawa-san will be performing the exorcism tomorrow. For now, Mai, go with Lin to fix the camera—no, actually," he said, as if he'd suddenly thought of something, "I'll go. There's something I want to check."

She nodded and headed toward the dining room, with Naru close behind. When they reached the camera in question, she grimaced. The lens had cracked. Luckily, the rest of it was intact, but they would have to replace the part. Naru was surveying the room and seemed to be looking for something, but a loud shattering noise interrupted both of their thoughts.

"What was that?!" Mai asked, looking in the direction of the sound. Without thinking, she ran upstairs to see that the windows of both upstairs rooms had shattered completely, littering the ground with shards.

"Idiot!" She heard from behind. "Haven't you learned yet to run _away _from loud noises, not _toward_ them?" A hand grabbed her arm and started to pull her back downstairs.

"Wait, Naru. Look at that." She pointed to something that looked like dust on the glass.

He frowned and walked closer, and she followed, kneeling down to pick up a slightly blackened piece. "It's warm," she said with surprise. "Poltergeisting?"

Naru didn't say anything, but he picked up a clean shard with a troubled expression. "It shattered inward," he muttered.

Before she could ask what he meant, there was a loud bang behind them. They both turned and saw that the door had somehow swung shut. Panicked, she reached for the doorknob, but it was firmly locked.

"What... What should we do?!" She tried the doorknob again, but no matter how hard she twisted, it wouldn't budge. Distracted by the blood thumping in her ears, she didn't notice how tightly she was gripping the doorknob until her hand had turned white, and the cold metal had become the same temperature as her skin.

"Calm down," he said levelly, laying a hand on her wrist. "Panicking won't help."

At his touch, she noticed that her hand was tense to the point of hurting, and she let go. The blood returned all at once, and she winced at the pinprick sensation. "Y-Yeah… What about Lin? If we yell out the window…"

"He's inside the base. He won't hear us if we yell outside."

"Th-then, if we stomp really loudly…" She could see every muscle on his face rejecting the idea of such an undignified act, but she was ready to do it herself if it would get them out of here one minute sooner.

"There's the possibility that he'll just think they're rapping noises. At any rate, Lin will come looking for us sooner or later, so it doesn't matter."

"No, he won't," she breathed suddenly, the color draining from her face. Her eyes were slightly unfocused. "He won't come."

"What?" Naru looked at her sharply.

She turned abruptly and ran toward the window. They just barely managed to catch the sight of the silver van turning the corner of the street and disappearing from sight.

"Did he get called out…?" Naru murmured, the barest hint of a frown on his face.

"The purification. I can do it right now. It'll solve everything."

"No. There's no guarantee."

"I know I can," she insisted. "The spirits here aren't stubborn, or violent. They're just a little… lost."

"That's not the issue. It's too dangerous."

"It'll be more dangerous if we stay here! And Kurahashi-san will be coming soon. He might be in danger."

She thought she heard him say _I highly doubt it_ under his breath, but it was barely audible, and it could have been her imagination.

"He's a policeman. He can take care of himself," Naru said firmly.

"Not against spirits! Besides, he's our client, so it's our job to protect him, isn't it?" Naru looked like he was about to say something in response to that, so she pressed on hastily. "And, if we don't take care of it soon, something worse will happen," she said with certainty.

He studied her expression. "That's how you feel?"

She nodded, and he sighed wearily and closed his eyes. "It's not that I think you won't succeed."

"I know. There's some other reason, right? But I have to."

He didn't say anything, which she took as a sign of agreement. She sat down carefully against the wall, closing her eyes and letting her limbs fall. She was trying hard to relax, but he could see the slight flutter of her eyelids and the occasional twitch of her fingers. Her lips moved faintly as she counted silently in an attempt to steady her breathing. The situation and the thought of imminent danger were unnerving her; she had always found it difficult to think around her fight-or-flight instincts, and adrenaline was the last thing she needed when trying to go into a trance state.

"Relax," he said in a soft, steady voice, called easily from practice with countless suggestion trials. "Clear your thoughts… Focus on your breathing… Count to eight… Then exhale…" As he spoke, he bent down to check her breathing. It had steadied, and she looked for all the world like she was asleep.

After about ten minutes, Mai slowly opened her eyes. He didn't need to ask to know that she'd been successful. It was too bad the dining room camera was still broken, he thought ruefully, or he'd have had the rare opportunity to record the visible light that accompanied purification.

"They left together…" she mumbled and closed her eyes again.

Just when he thought she'd gone back to sleep, she suddenly seemed to wake up and stood up. "The lock?"

As he'd expected, it still hadn't opened. "Why?" She asked, utterly perplexed.

"It'll open soon," he said with certainty.

She still looked confused, but she didn't question what he'd said. "Then… We wait?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Does it look like there's anything else we can do?"

"Call for help," she suggested. "Break the door. Look for secret passageways." She put down a finger for each suggestion. His snort made it clear that _she_ could indulge in such activities if she so wished, but he would be taking no part in it.

He was staring in the other direction, so at first she'd thought he'd stopped paying attention, but when she sat back down with a huff, he suddenly spoke.

"Good work," he said, almost off-handedly.

* * *

_October 21, Evening_

"Explosives."

The other five faces in the room were all dumbfounded.

Earlier, Lin had returned to the house half an hour after the purification and unlocked the door with a worried look on his face and Kurahashi in tow. Naru had promptly informed Kurahashi that his request was complete and started packing everything without another word. The officer hadn't commented any further, either.

After they had retrieved all the equipment, they had driven to the hotel Yasuhara and the others were staying at, and they were meeting in the room he was sharing with Takigawa. Naru had briefly recounted the events of the past three days and then pulled out a glass shard that still had traces of black dust on it from his pocket.

"You're saying _the police_ broke the windows?!" Takigawa ran his fingers through his hair in disbelief.

"They must have weakened the glass earlier, then attached a small explosive to it from the outside so it would shatter when detonated. That's why the glass flew inward, and why there were traces of soot on parts of the glass. The spirit can't exit the house, so it can only exert force from inside. If the spirit had done it, most of the glass should have landed outside the house."

"But… What was their motive?" Even the normally-composed Yasuhara looked astonished.

"To induce fear, most likely. They wanted us to believe the entity inside the house was dangerous so we would hurry the exorcism."

"Then… the door?" It was Mai who asked. "That wasn't poltergeisting?"

"No. The dining room has a back door, and the camera in that room was broken earlier—on purpose, most likely. Someone could have easily passed through there unnoticed to close the door upstairs. They must have been afraid the cause for the window breaking would be noticed, so they tried to pressure us into panicking."

"So… the purification was completely unnecessary?"

He was silent for a moment. "They may have been ready to use more extreme methods if we didn't proceed with the exorcism. The proof of that is that they called Lin away."

The entire room was speechless for a few moments. Finally, Takigawa stood up. "This is absurd! We can't just let this go. If you don't want your image to go public, Yasuhara or I can act as a proxy, but we need to take this to court—"

"Unfortunately," Naru interrupted, "there's no law against someone breaking their own window. Locking a door is hardly a punishable crime, either, and we have no evidence of any other actions."

"So, what? We're just going to do nothing? That doesn't sound like you."

"There is nothing we can do about this right now," Naru said flatly, his tone ice-cold—he was truly upset, Mai could tell. He visibly took a breath before continuing, an indicator of just how shaken he was. "I don't intend to just sit around. I'm going to ask for advice."

She tried to figure out what kind of person _Naru_ would ask for advice on something like this. None of the people who worked with SPR were particularly influential, except possibly Masako. However, no matter how famous Masako was, Mai didn't think she had the power to stop policemen in their tracks. Perhaps Madoka, or Lin? Or one of Naru's famous parapsychologist colleagues? But she still couldn't see what a researcher would be able to do.

"Well," Yasuhara said light-heartedly, trying to alleviate the mood, "it looks like I win the bet after all. Locked room, right?"

"You said _dark_ room," Ayako pointed out. Mai was just a bit surprised that she had joined them at all after hearing about her argument with the others. The priestess still looked rather cross, but Takigawa must have been able to assuage her in the end because she wasn't glaring daggers at Naru… at least, not that much.

"The 'dark' part was a matter of rhetoric," Yasuhara argued. "The essence was the 'locked' part. Besides, I was the closest, which makes me the victor."

"Hey," Mai cut in with irritation. "Can you not use other people's misfortune for your betting games?"

Takigawa patted her on the head. "It's our way of showing concern. Besides, my intentions are pure. I'm raising funds to treat you for lunch sometime."

"Don't worry, Takigawa-san, I'll treat her in your place," Yasuhara said with a wink. If she didn't know better, she would have sworn he was winking in Naru's direction.

Ayako shook her head with exasperation at Yasuhara's comment. "Listen up, Mai, you musn't ever fall for a man who treats you to an expensive dinner and buys you pricy things on the first date. It means he thinks you can be bought with money."

"Huh?" Mai looked startled. "That makes sense, but I never thought you of all people would say something like that."

"How rude." Ayako scowled. "What kind of person do you think I am?"

"Well…"

"Look here, young lady. My policy is to never buy something for myself that a vapid, useless man can buy for me, but none of them are worth anything in the end. Understand?"

Takigawa elbowed her. "Ayako, don't teach her strange things. Heavens knows two of your kind running around is the last thing we need."

"'My kind'? You better explain carefully what you mean by that."

A well-aimed pillow promptly caught the monk square in the head, and just like that, the conversation disintegrated.

* * *

**A/N**: And that wraps this case up, in some sense. It feels nice to be able to end at the end of something rather than at a cliffhanger for once.

(Somewhat late) Disclaimer: I don't know the first thing about the Japanese police, legal system, or anything else, really. Everything here is pieced together from cursory glances of Wikipedia articles, general tidbits buried in my memory from who-even-knows-where, and a (probably somewhat inaccurate) interpretation of what's been written in GH canon, and the rest is filled in by substituting in my vague knowledge of American law and law enforcement. If you actually _do_ know any details about Japanese police, etc., I am so, so sorry, and please feel free to tell me if anything is amiss (aside from the obvious parts like 'I don't think the police are actually involved in weird paranormal conspiracies') and I will try to make any future references more accurate.

Aside from that, I was pleasantly surprised by how many people expressed approval/expectations for a slow romance; it's nice to know I'm not guilty of false advertisement just yet, and I'm glad there are people more patient than I am in this world. I'll try my best to make it worth the wait.

Hopefully this doesn't sound old and stale by now, but as usual, thanks for reading and for your feedback! It's always interesting and encouraging to hear what people liked in particular, especially when it's something unexpected. Of course, criticism is always welcome as well!


	5. Chapter 5

_October 21, Late Night_

The night sky was pitch-black. Not a single star could be seen, let alone the moon. Somehow, though, as soon as she took a step forward, the area around her became visible. She could easily make out the faint outline of the railing and the familiar concrete edge. It was the roof of her apartment building.

It was a dream, of course. She could tell from the way the rough stone under her bare feet didn't hurt at all, and the way the fog seemed to hide the city nightscape that should have been visible from this height. She could tell because she wasn't even supposed to be in her apartment; she was still asleep in a hotel room with Ayako. But most of all, she could tell from the familiar silhouette of the boy leaning against the railing.

His back was turned, but the curve of his cheek, every strand of his hair, even the clothes he was wearing looked like Naru's. One glance was enough to tell that he wasn't, though—the relaxed, casual manner in which he rested his cheek in one hand (which, according to Naru, ruined your eyesight if you tried to read like that) and the almost lazy way he leaned against the metal bar (an action that Naru would have condemned as stupidly dangerous) screamed his true identity.

"Gene," she called with delight, running toward him. Even though it was a dream, she found herself slightly out of breath by the time she reached him. He turned around and smiled—a warm, familiar sight. "What are you doing here? Isn't the case over already?"

He tilted his head. "It seems to be. I just came to see how you were doing. I was worried because I couldn't reach you during the case, but it seems like you've stopped blocking me out."

"I was blocking you out?" She asked with astonishment. "How? Why?"

"I don't know," he admitted. "But I'm glad it's over now."

"I am, too," she told him, then suddenly thought of something. "But then… that dream about the accident… that wasn't you? Is that why I didn't see you?"

"Noll asked me the same thing. It wasn't me. Were you thinking anything particularly strongly before you went to sleep?"

She tried to think. "I think… I was worried because he looked like he was about to collapse earlier that day. That was because he was using psychometry, wasn't it?"

"Yes. That solves the mystery, then." Gene smiled again.

"You know, speaking of that, I…" She wavered, unsure of how to turn the thoughts in her throat into words. No matter how she rearranged them, they sounded like shallow platitudes.

"Go ahead," he encouraged, not a hint of reproach in his voice.

"I guess I realized that I've been depending on you too much. When I woke up and kept wondering where you were, I realized that I've somehow come to take you for granted. I suppose, since you were always helping me, and since you were always so nice, I ended up blindly relying on you without considering anything."

She snuck a glance at him, but he only waited in silence, gently urging her to continue.

"I can't even begin to thank you for everything. But…" She hesitated. "I'd still like to see you. I think, no matter what, you'll always be very important to me. Do you think… that's fine?"

"Of course," he answered immediately. Gene looked as if he was lost in thought for a few moments. Then, he smiled at her again and ruffled her hair. "Actually, I should apologize, too. I know I've said it before, but I'm sorry for using you to try to get in touch with my brother. I pulled out your abilities without your permission, too. So, if I was of help, then I'm glad." His smile looked a little melancholy. "You know, you didn't do anything wrong, though. In some ways, I'm not real, so there's no need for you to worry about me."

She looked down. "I do hope you'll be happy, though. Are you ever lonely out here?"

"Sometimes, but not sharply, or painfully. It's sort of a hazy feeling. More than that though, I'm happy enough just watching all of you." He smiled again. "Perhaps it's strange, but I almost feel like I'm content as long as my brother is—and perhaps you, too," he added thoughtfully.

"Is it that twin thing? That psychic connection?" Mai asked curiously, and he shrugged.

"Who knows? It's certainly different from when I was alive, but it's impossible to say for certain."

"Then, do you know if Naru is worried about something right now? I keep getting the feeling that he is, but he won't say anything, of course."

Gene waved his hand dismissively. "Don't worry too much about it. It's nothing he can't handle. That idiot—when we were kids, he fell out of a tree once and kept insisting he hadn't, even though there was a huge bruise right on his forehead."

"Did he really?" She snickered at the thought. "Now that I remember, he had blood dripping down his arm once and he kept refusing to bandage it. I thought he was going to keel over from blood loss at any moment."

"The very first case, right? I met you just a bit after that." He sighed and shook his head. "Even if he tries to act all cool, he's really just a clumsy kid who doesn't know how to do anything other than work." She thought he'd never looked more like an older brother than he did in that moment. However, his tone suddenly became serious. "After all I've asked of you, I think it's unfair of me to ask more, but… Please, look out for him a bit."

"Me?" She couldn't imagine what she could possibly do. "Of course, I will, but…"

"As you said, he's worried right now. Sometimes, when he gets too serious, his field of view becomes narrow and he loses track of other things…"

Though she only nodded blankly, his face broke into obvious relief. They were quiet for a few moments, watching the starless sky in silence. Gene's presence was already beginning to fade.

"I sort of wish I could talk to Naru like this about you," Mai said suddenly when she felt him slipping away. "I feel like he gets a bit touchy when I mention you for some reason."

"I can't imagine why," Gene noted, sounding amused for some reason. His voice seemed to come from far away now. "Don't worry. Definitely, someday…"

"Someday," she agreed, but he was already gone. The rooftop also began to fade until she was left alone in pure darkness.

"They both call each other 'idiot,'" she said aloud, though there was no one to hear her.

As dreamless sleep began to reclaim her, she thought she could still hear Gene's voice echoing in the back of her mind. Dimly, she thought she could put a finger on what it was about him that had attracted her so deeply from the very start. He was warm, like family, like home. Did Naru feel that way about Gene, too? How cruel, for fate to take even that away from him.

* * *

_October 24, Early Afternoon_

The sunny Monday afternoon was ruined by Madoka's throbbing headache, and she nursed a cup of warm milk as she looked over the documents in her hand. No one else was in the office; Mai was at school and wouldn't arrive until evening, Taka and Yasuhara were both off for the day, Naru was off doing who-knows-what, and even Lin had gone out for a bit on an errand.

Just as she had that thought, though, the office door opened, and the tall assistant walked in. She hastily adjusted her tired features into a smile to greet him, but he only frowned and sat down on the sofa next to her.

"You need rest," he said bluntly.

She gave up on trying to look upbeat. "I still have to write to two sponsors explaining why their ridiculous requests aren't feasible, and I have to tell headquarters that we're _not_ interested in setting up a laboratory in this branch, and explain to them that it can't be helped that SPR's reputation in Japan isn't well-established yet since this country doesn't have much of a history of paranormal research, and this, and that…"

He raised an eyebrow. She knew what he was trying to say.

"You know as well as I do that if I make Oliver handle it, it'll end up as even more of a mess. He may be brilliant, but he has absolutely no tact and no talent for negotiation." She sighed. "Gene was good at it, but…" She shook her head. "At any rate, this is my job, not his."

"He can at least write to the sponsors," Lin pointed out. "Seeing as his obstinacy in being here is doubling your workload, you have at least the right to dump some of your work on him."

"And don't I know it," Madoka grinned. "Don't worry, I've been making him do his fair share. It's just _this_ mess," she gestured vaguely at the pile of papers in front of her, "that's been getting out of control since a few weeks ago."

"What kind of propositions have they come up with this time?" Lin asked curiously. They were usually absurd but mundane, like "research how to plant psychic suggestions in advertisements," but there had been more than a few truly strange ones in the past.

"Nothing particularly special this time around. Here's the first one, from G.C. Electrics, Inc." She picked up a piece of paper from the stack and read it aloud. "'We have recognized the value of various abilities possessed by rare individuals, currently known collectively as psychics…' etc., etc…. 'rarity of potential test subjects... leads us to look at the feasibility of artificial substitutes… we hope you will see the benefit to future scientific advancement…' and so on and so forth. Well, that's the gist of it."

Lin shook his head. "They want to try to _create_ psychics? That's ridiculous."

"Exactly," Madoka agreed. "We don't even know what causes these things—are they genetic, or environmental? Physical, or psychological? There's just too many things we don't know. That sort of experiment is at least fifty years too early to undertake."

"And the other one?"

"Some garbage proposal from some wealthy religious group about using spirit mediums to conduct experiments into the nature of death. Any half-baked researcher could tell them that there's too much inconsistency in how individual mediums work, or even in their compatibility with different spirits, for such an experiment to be viable, even as a case study."

"Oliver will have a field day picking apart that one," Lin said dryly.

"He'll get annoyed and throw a fit," she agreed. "A very intellectual, eloquent fit. Speaking of Oliver, where is he, anyways? I've never seen him leave the office outside of a case without being dragged there by half the spirits of the Underworld. No, wait," she corrected herself, "If any spirits were doing the dragging, he would happily go."

Lin hesitated. "He went to make an international call."

She looked at the clock, surprised. "At this time of day?"

"He's on a business trip to the States right now. It'd be around evening over there."

"I see." She leaned back thoughtfully. "Considering how much Oliver doesn't like asking him for help, he must think this is serious." She suddenly looked worried. "I have a favor to ask you."

"What is it?"

She pulled out a chart from the bottom of the stack of papers. "I've been keeping track of the requests based on Taniyama-san's reports. The number of letters nowadays is practically none, but truth be told, I'm a bit suspicious of their apparent sudden lack of interest. You take care of the mail, right? If I could see the content…"

"No," Lin said immediately. "I'm sorry, Madoka, but I won't help you spy on him. I helped you with the spare key because I believed that Oliver was being too unreasonable back then, and what Taniyama-san chooses to do with it is none of my business, but I draw the line there."

"But It could be dangerous," she argued. "Especially if Oliver has gone so far as to call home. He never opens these letters; by the time something happens, it could be too late."

"Madoka, he's not a child anymore."

She blinked, stunned, as if she had just considered that for the first time. Slowly, she sank back into her seat and pulled her fingers through her hair. "No… you're right. Maybe I'm being too fussy. When it comes to ghost hunting, I have complete confidence in him, but for things like this…" She shook her head. "I guess I can't help but feel that I owe it to Luella to keep her only remaining child safe."

Lin gazed at her steadily. "You have nothing to make up for."

"I sent him on that case, though." She bit her lip.

"You weren't the one who hit him."

"No… I suppose not." Madoka looked down at her hands. "At the very least, though, since I'm here…"

"Your feelings are enough. Luella would appreciate them."

She smiled tiredly in reply.

* * *

_October 26, Late Night_

"Don't you think the two of you have had quite a bit?" John asked with a strained smile as another empty bottle of liquor was pushed aside at their table of four.

"Oh, come on, Brown-san, you know how much these two can down in one sitting," Yasuhara said cheerfully. "Come to think of it, you're no lightweight yourself, right?"

John's plaintive sigh faded into clamor of the dim bar-and-restaurant. "Yes, but I thought we were here to discuss something serious…"

"Relax," Ayako ordered crossly. "I've barely had a sip. If you're going to be worried, worry about that useless monk over there who keeps putting off the real conversation."

"I don't want to hear that from the one who came half an hour late—because of makeup, I bet," Takigawa grumbled, then gave exhaled deeply. "Fine, fine, let's get to the point. What do you think about what little Naru said about the last case?"

John, who had been brought up to date a few minutes earlier, tilted his head. "His reasoning seems sound, although it's still hard to believe that law enforcement would go to such drastic measures for such a thing…"

"Getting scared?" Ayako teased, prodding Takigawa.

"As if," Takigawa waved her off. "I think there's something fishy about all of this. Little Naru thinks they're after some sort of vague goal like 'observing psychic powers in action,' but think about it—they're public officials without any sort of incredible budget putting their money and reputations at stake. There's no way they'd be satisfied with such a wishy-washy goal. Besides, their terrible case-solving rate is nothing new, so unless there's some pressure on the department to shape up immediately, they shouldn't be _that_ desperate."

"Certainly, when you put it that way…" Ayako mused. "As a scientist, maybe 'observation' seems like a good enough end in and of itself for Naru, and he doesn't care enough about his own reputation for it to seem like a big deal, but for a typical salaryman, especially a police officer, it would be too much risk for too little gain."

"Right," Yasuhara agreed. "I thought there was something suspicious about how they ended things so early, too. There's no way they planned such elaborate surveillance for the sake of a three-day operation. Which means…"

"They got what they were after earlier than expected," Takigawa finished. "So they didn't mind finishing it off with such a flashy move."

"So then, what's their actual goal?" John pondered. "Did we misread their motive from the start?"

"Did we? Or did we make some wrong assumption along the way… Argh," Takigawa scratched his head in frustration. "This is giving me a headache."

"Are you sure it's not the booze talking, old man?" Ayako asked mildly and got a grimace in reply.

"Either way, I don't think dwelling on past mistakes now will be of much use," Yasuhara sighed. His glass was still untouched. "The question is, if they did get what they were after during this case, what was it? Judging by the timing, it must have been something on the second day of the case."

"The second day… that's when Naru used psychometry to find out about the ghosts, right? Was that their goal after all?"

"Was it…?" Takigawa still had a frustrated look on his face as he rubbed his temple. "To be honest, I thought that was a strange motive from the start. There's plenty of information about Oliver Davis' abilities on record from when he assisted the British police, and knowing about them isn't going to make him suddenly feel like helping out. Why go to all the trouble?"

Ayako shrugged. "Either way, that's our only lead for now. There's not much we can do but wait, but I don't think there's too much to be worried about. When all's said and done, there's only so much they can do without fear of retaliation. Now, if only we had some legal expertise…"

Yasuhara smiled ruefully. "Sadly, I'm in the Economics department. I'm guessing music and theology won't be of much use in this situation, either." Both Takigawa and John sighed at that.

"So in the end, we're back to having no clue at all. I guess four drunks together isn't much better than four drunks separately."

"Two and a half drunks," Yasuhara corrected mildly. "Not that being sober is making much of a difference."

"Putting that aside for now, why didn't the two of you tell me about little Naru sooner? How long have you known?"

"What, about his infatuation with Mai? To be honest, I didn't notice until he came back from England. It's become a bit more obvious, but in hindsight, I suppose the signs were always there," Yasuhara explained.

"You're all too slow," Ayako told them scornfully. "I thought so right from the second case, although I wasn't sure of it until that suspicions line from Mai about a previous part-timer who quit or something ridiculous like that."

"Urgh. No wonder you're always poking at him, young man. When I think if all the fun I've been missing out on…" The musician leaned back in his chair with a look of heavy regret on his face. "Although, truth be told, you sure have a lot of guts for picking on Naru like that."

"Of course, I would brave any peril to impress you, Takigawa-san," Yasuhara said cheerfully. "Don't worry, it's not as dangerous as it seems. He won't fire me because my work is excellent, after all." Takigawa snorted in response to that. "Besides, it seems that despite how he looks, he's actually pretty clumsy in those situations. Most of the time he just freezes up a little or gets annoyed. I don't think he'll actually say much unless you try to confront him directly."

"Jeez, I guess when all's said and done, they're all kids after all." Ayako propped an elbow on the table. "I almost feel sorry for him. Isn't she in love with his dead twin brother, after all? This sounds like the beginning of a tragedy."

"No, no, I would say it sounds more like the near-conclusion of a tragedy, or the middle of a comedy. If we're looking optimistically, let's go with the comedy option," Yasuhara suggested. "_All's Well that Ends Well_ or something, right?"

John winced a little. "I do think there are more apt comparisons…"

"True. Shibuya-san would be a crafty enough Helena, but he isn't nearly humble enough to be a low-born doctor's daughter, and I wouldn't want to see Taniyama-san become a seducer of innocent young girls."

"Isn't she already on0e, though? I mean, she certainly won over that girl from the first case… what was her name… Kuroda? And the little daughter from the second case, and Taka and Kasai, and Agawa Midori… I think even Masako has a soft spot for her. She'd give the Pied Piper a run for his money."

"True." The monk snorted inelegantly. "Poor little Naru certainly has a bit of competition, then. I bet he's thinking, 'If only I'd taken advantage of my opportunity months ago' or something."

John tilted his head. "But it wouldn't have gotten rid of the real problem, right? The fact that she was dreaming about Gene would have been revealed sooner or later. I think it's better for both of them this way."

Takigawa sighed mournfully. "I was joking, joking I tell you. To be honest, I'm not sure about this whole thing. Mai has had such a difficult life, what with losing both her parents and supporting herself. What she wants most is a sense of family and belonging, isn't it? Even if he is occasionally nice, aren't his actions too ambiguous to give her that? And even for him, wouldn't the anxiety of being second choice or a substitute for his brother shadow their relationship, even if they were to have one?"

Ayako slapped him on the back. "You drunken fool, since when did you become such a depressing old man? We're here to drown our sorrows, not to drown _in_ our sorrows. Besides," she added, "I think you're worrying too much for nothing. Nothing's set in stone, and people grow. Both of them are actually pretty mature for their age—even though Mai doesn't look it half the time. Whatever they end up deciding, I'm sure it'll be for the best."

"Surprisingly, you're actually a rather _laissez-faire_ sort of person, aren't you, Matsuzaki-san?" Yasuhara commented light-heartedly.

Takigawa raised an eyebrow. "Don't you mean 'only motivated by self-interest?'" He quipped, earning him a jab in the stomach.

* * *

_October 30, Morning_

"… just stood there! He looked like he was thinking super seriously about something, but later, I found out he just didn't know what she said! So I told him, 'Why didn't you just ask her to repeat herself?' And he had that look on his face—yes, exactly, that one!"

Naru caught the tail end of Madoka's conversation with someone as well as a familiar, delighted snicker when he opened the door. As he walked in, the snicker turned abruptly into an astonished hiccup, and Mai guiltily bent her head to focus on whatever was on the papers in front of her—homework, from the looks of it. Madoka looked as serene as ever.

"Oliver! Perfect timing! I was just telling Mai about the transfers from the States," Madoka said cheerfully with a wave toward him.

He had the urge to point out that her suspiciously familiar story didn't sound like it had anything to do with that, but he decided that trying to argue with Madoka was more effort than it was worth, so he bit back his response and instead asked, "Transfers?"

"Yes, two young researchers from the US branch of SPR. They're going to set up a laboratory here." Her voice was still cheerful, but it sounded a little forced.

"I told them we didn't want a laboratory division," Naru said, irritated, but he tried his best keep it out of his voice since he knew that Madoka was just as displeased.

"Don't worry," Madoka sighed. "They won't be affiliated with us—they'll be located a bit outside the city. As the head of the Japanese SPR branch, you just have to exchange greetings with them—and try to mind your manners."

"If they're really here for work as they say, then there's no need to bother with such pointless social calls."

"Naru, don't be so difficult!" Mai spoke up this time. "It's common courtesy to drop in for a visit at least, and since they're new to Japan, I'm sure they'd appreciate some help."

"Yes, precisely," Madoka agreed. "Their names are Charles and Andrea Louen, ages twenty-six and twenty-three, and it seems like their father was a rather famous medium. Supposedly, that's what got them interested in this line of work. They're coming next week and asked if you'd like to meet for a bit. You'll go, won't you?" Madoka smiled sweetly, but there was an iron edge underneath her smile.

Naru sighed. "Fine. I'll 'drop in,' but that's it."

"Perfect!" Madoka beamed. "I'll let them know right away. In the meantime, we're going on a field trip this afternoon. Right, Oliver?"

He narrowed his eyes. "Of course not. This afternoon, I have to—"

"Go to the airport, yes, I know. Of course, we're going to graciously accompany you. Right, Mai?"

"Huh?" By the look of confusion in her eyes, the younger girl had no idea what was going on, either. "To the airport? Today? But why?"

"Because it would be fun," Madoka explained, leaving no room for argument. "Because neither of us have any work left, because we could both use a breath of fresh air, and because poor Martin will feel like a fish out of water if we let Naru be the only one escorting him."

"Um, by 'Martin,' you don't mean—"

"Madoka, this is my personal business," Naru interrupted. "I don't see why you—"

"Nonsense, Martin is a close friend of mine." Not even Madoka was in the mood to let anyone finish their sentences, it seemed. "As a close friend, I am duty-bound to save him from several hours of extremely embarrassing failed attempts at conversation and agonizing hesitation over whether to ask for a translation of something or not, even if the heartless villain intent on subjecting him to that is his own son."

Naru sighed again, sensing that he wasn't going to win this argument. "And, so? What's your excuse for dragging the entire office with you?"

"Of course, Lin is also a close friend of Martin's, so he has every right to go meet him at the airport," Madoka said with a grin. "And wouldn't you feel bad leaving poor Mai all alone here?"

"Really, it's fine," Mai said nervously. "I don't mind, and just in case any clients come…"

"Nonsense. How can we leave a single high schooler here, alone? That's just too unsafe. Wouldn't you say so, Oliver?"

He had given up on trying to change her mind by this point. "Don't be late. Judging by the state of her homework, Mai can't afford to spend too much time slacking off."

The hapless victim caught in the crossfire of their argument stopped writing mid-sentence and bent down even closer to peer at her English homework.

"It's misspelled," Madoka whispered helpfully after a long silence. By the time Mai had hastily erased the offending mistake and looked back up to throw Naru a nasty glare, he had already escaped into his office.

"Mori-san, by 'Martin,' you weren't referring to Naru's father, were you?" Mai asked once she'd remembered her original question. "Is he coming here?"

"Yes, precisely. Surprised, right?" Madoka laughed lightly. "Actually, so am I. About a week ago, Naru said all of a sudden that he needed to ask his father something and called him. Don't tell him I told you this, but I think this is only the third time in his life that he's ever asked a favor of his father—according to Gene, he doesn't like asking favors because he feels like he already owes them too much, or something like that. But, since it was such a rare request, Martin hurried over right away as soon as he was done with whatever business he had, which is why we're going to pick him up today."

"Oh," Mai suddenly recalled, "Is that who he meant by 'asking someone for help'?"

"Huh?" Madoka tilted her head questioningly.

"Ah, oh, nothing… we just had a bit of an issue with the last case, so Naru said something like that."

"Really? He had an issue with a case?" She looked astonished.

"Not an issue with the case, exactly… An issue with the client, I guess?"

"Well, I guess that would explain it," Madoka nodded. "Martin studies parapsychology, but he's primarily a professor of law."

"Oh, that's right. Naru did mention it once. Isn't British law different from Japanese law, though?"

"Hmm, well, I'm not too familiar with it myself, but I think he's got some knowledge of various legal systems for the sake of research. And," she added, "he's probably looked over Japan's because of Gene. Not to mention, I'm sure he has quite a few contacts here as well."

"I see. By the way, what kind of person is he? He didn't seem to say much last time we met."

Madoka laughed. "That would probably be because he can't speak Japanese at all. But, he's pretty quiet normally, too—a bit air-headed, even. Awkward, but well-meaning. Kind of shocking, actually, considering what lawyers are supposed to be like—I guess that's just personal bias, though."

"Are you sure I won't be in the way?" Mai asked hesitantly. "After all, it's a meeting between friends and family, and I'm not really…"

"Don't be silly," Madoka said, ruffling her hair. "You're practically family, aren't you? Martin and Lin and I met through work as well, after all. Besides," she added, lowering her voice. "You're actually saving Martin a lot of heartache. Watching him and Naru try to hold up a conversation between the two of them is like watching two pebbles try to wrestle. No, that might actually be more productive and less painful."

"I can actually imagine that," the younger girl said mournfully.

"Exactly. You get my point, right? So, there's nothing to worry about."

"Thanks, Mori-san." Mai lowered her head, embarrassed, then suddenly raised it again and asked, "Oh, by the way, do you know when Yasuhara will be here next?"

"Yasuhara-san? Not until next week, I think." Madoka answered, tilting her head. "Why?"

"No, not much. There was something I needed to ask him. It's nothing important, though."

"If you say so. Then, if you're ready, let's hurry off. The plane should be arriving soon."

* * *

**A/N**: I don't remember it being explicitly stated that Martin is also a professor of law in anything other than the one line at the very end of the very last volume of the novel (which to the best of my knowledge has yet to be translated into English), so that part might have seemed a bit arbitrary. I generally try to keep esoterica from being central to the plot, but alas, I think this one was a bit unavoidable. For all intents and purposes, Martin's occupation can just be considered headcanon as much as the rest of his character is, I suppose.

Mai was actually born for a career as the star of a host club, though—I'm fairly certain _that's_ canon.

As a side note (I say that as if this entire segment weren't all one huge side note), I do enjoy hearing readers' speculation a lot—it's always interesting, and it helps me gauge how much information I've thrown out, and which parts caught people's attention. As always thank you very much for following this story, and I hope you enjoyed it!


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: **Anything [in brackets] is spoken in English. Everything normally written is in Japanese, as usual.

* * *

_October 30, Afternoon_

"What time is the plane landing?" Madoka asked, checking her wristwatch.

"3:08," Naru said tersely, his face noticeably displeased.

"Perfect, we have plenty of time, then. Sorry for dragging you out when you have so much to do," Madoka remarked, looking at the textbook in the high school student's hand.

"Huh?" Mai looked up, startled. In truth, she had only brought the textbook as a ward against the awkward atmosphere that was sure to come up at some point on the train ride there. "No, it's fine, I'm not that busy…"

"Simply carrying a textbook won't make you smarter if you don't read it," Naru told her, a hint of smugness to his otherwise flat tone.

"You!" She glared at him. "Haven't you heard of 'if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all?'"

"That wouldn't do," Madoka murmured from the sidelines. "He wouldn't have anything left to say at all."

"It only goes to show that someone people would rather listen to pleasant lies than unpleasant truths," Naru countered, but he was outnumbered two to one and it was a futile struggle. Lin was silent as usual, and his face was carefully turned away, but his shoulders shook once in what might have been a laugh.

"By the way, what kind of people are these transfers?" Mai asked curiously.

"I don't know much about them, either," Madoka told her. "Just their names, and the fact that they're setting up a laboratory."

"Hmm. What kind of research goes on in a laboratory? Is it psychic research—like PK and stuff?" She couldn't imagine anything other than suspicious-looking wires and lightbulbs and surgery tables.

"Well…" Madoka looked a bit troubled at the question. "Of course, it depends on the individual experiment, but… How do I put this…"

"Psychic research and laboratory work are fundamentally incompatible," Naru said shortly. "The purpose of a laboratory experiment is to conduct a series of trials in which certain variables are isolated, thus drawing a conclusion about the influence of aforementioned variables on the result. However, most variables regarding psychic phenomena can't even be identified, let alone isolated. In other words, with our current body of knowledge, it's impossible to perform conclusive laboratory work on psychic research."

"Well, there you have it," Madoka said cheerfully, patting the rather dazed-looking Mai on the head. "To put it bluntly, most psychic researchers doing labwork are just guessing blindly. Of course, sometimes that also gets results, but for the most part…" She shrugged. "There are also some legitimate types of research—for example, mapping active sites of the brain during psychic activity, or testing the effects of soporifics on trance states—but things like that are usually done at headquarters or in conjunction with scientists of other fields. Purely psychic laboratory research generally has an unsavory reputation. Not, of course, that we should be drawing any conclusions about those transfers before we meet them," she added hastily.

"I sort of get it… I think… So, as for what they actually do…"

"Oh, probably something like interviewing mediums in fancy little rooms," Madoka said dismissively. "At least, that's what the German branch was doing last time I visited."

Before she had time to absorb the information, though, the train jerked to a stop in front of the terminal station. Mai had never been there before, and the huge, multi-story building took her by surprise. She wasn't sure what she had been expecting—a huge field of airplanes lined up, maybe?

"Terminal One?" Madoka asked, and Naru nodded. They seemed to know where they were going, so Mai just followed along cluelessly, looking around at the shiny walls and taking in the low, overlapping echoes of footsteps and conversation that resounded throughout the wide building.

A group of people were waiting in front of the door they stopped near. Many of them were holding signs, a few looked bored, and the rest had expectant looks on their faces. "Ten more minutes," Naru told them and leaned against the pillar behind him.

A sudden realization hit her. Her English was absolutely atrocious. Was she expected to say anything? What was even the proper way to greet someone again? A handshake… right? And then…

"You'll look smarter if you just keep quiet," Naru said out of nowhere. "Madoka talks enough for two, anyways."

"Huh? Is that good enough?" And couldn't he have phrased it in a better way? Well, there was no sense in being picky right now.

Madoka looked up at the sound of her name. "Was that what you were worried about? Of course, a handshake is enough," she beamed. "I'll handle the rest. Oh, there he is—Martin!"

The older woman hurried over to a familiar-looking man Mai had seen only once before. Back then, lines of grief had been etched into his face, and he'd looked weary and tired; now, he looked much livelier, and his face broke into a reserved but nonetheless joyful smile as he spotted them. Madoka whispered something into his ear, and a look of surprise crossed his face for a split second. Then, unexpectedly, he started laughing. Although he did look like a rather friendly man, she hadn't expected him to be the type to laugh so openly.

Naru walked over and exchanged a few words with him, and they shared a somewhat stiff but affectionate embrace. Lin shook hands with him and said something as well. Madoka must have introduced her at that point since she heard her own name, and the older woman gestured toward her cheerfully. She was halfway through an instinctive bow before she caught herself and hesitantly took his outstretched hand.

When she let go, he smiled at her and said something that she couldn't understand. She looked at Madoka for help, but Naru abruptly gave her shoulder a light push and steered her away.

"What did he say?" She asked, curious now.

"Nothing important." He refused to say anything else about the matter no matter how much she pestered him, so she gave up and returned to where the others were still engaged in a conversation she couldn't make head nor tail of.

Professor Davis more or less explained the situation on the train ride back. According to Madoka's translation, he'd apparently been visiting a fellow professor in the States when he'd gotten Naru's call. Although Naru had allegedly only asked for advice, Professor Davis had been moved to tears by such a rare phone call and even rarer request for help from his adorable but rather cold son and promptly dropped everything to come flying to his aid, as well as to take the chance to visit without getting shrugged off in favor of work for once. (Mai suspected Madoka's version of the story had a few embellishments—especially judging by how unhappy Naru looked during the entire narration—but no one spoke up to correct her.)

For the first ten minutes of the ride, Mai tried her best not to intrude upon what she'd expected would be intimate family bonding time, but with the aid of Madoka's lingual skills, she quickly realized that, just as the researcher had predicted, the conversations between Naru and his father could optimistically be described as "a little on the brief side," or more realistically as "an eighteen-wheeler full of dynamite careening down a hill at a twenty percent incline while driven by a blindfolded wax doll."

"[So… the weather here isn't too bad?]" Professor Davis had attempted.

After a brief moment of contemplation, Naru had conceded with, "[It's fairly sunny.]"

"[Yes…]" The few minutes of awkward silence that followed were physically painful. Professor Davis scratched his head and courageously tried again. "[How's your research coming along? Any good data?]"

Naru shrugged ambiguously. "[The same as usual.]"

Mai suspected that with the option of sarcasm cut out, his conversational skills had been cut by at least eighty percent. It was only when she noticed how the professor kept unconsciously glancing at an empty seat next to Naru that she realized the moments of silence must have once been filled in by another, precious person.

Madoka quickly interrupted to spare both of them from further disaster. Or rather, to drag both of them _into_ further disaster, Mai amended once she heard the rest of Madoka's sentence. "Oliver, before we transfer at the next stop, why don't we look around for a bit?" The researcher suggested brightly, earning her an irritated glare from Naru. "After all, your father has just arrived from a long flight. Don't you think it'd be nice to get a breath of fresh air before we go to the hotel? Lin will take the luggage ahead first."

Martin nodded his agreement, although judging by the look on his face, Mai had the sneaking suspicion that he wanted to do anything _but_ go around for a breath of fresh air. Was the magic of paternal love at work, or was Madoka just that good at wrapping Davises around her little finger?

With such a ringing endorsement, though, there was no way Naru could oppose, so he sighed and reluctantly followed Madoka's lead. Luckily, Madoka was a spirited conversationalist and a natural-born tour guide, and she pointed out street-side cafés and little accessory shops with enthusiasm. She spoke mostly in English, but she'd occasionally translate a phrase or two into Japanese, and once in a while she'd turn to ask Mai's opinion on something. Mai was grateful for the efforts to make her feel included, although frankly, she didn't feel as left out as she'd expected, mostly due to the fact that Naru was speaking even less than she was and had completely tuned out of the conversation. He looked almost sullen; at least, he looked far more childish than usual, at least. There was a stiffness to his movements, as if he wasn't quite sure how to act.

"Naru, is this cutting into your work?" She asked in a low voice as Madoka carried on animatedly about something a few feet before them.

"It's fine," he said shortly, turning his head away slightly.

"Professor Davis seems like a nice person," she commented.

He shrugged one shoulder in something that looked more or less like assent. An honest word of agreement was probably too much to ask of him, but it seemed like he didn't plan on denying it, at least.

"It'd be nice to be able to have a proper conversation with him," she said wistfully.

The corner of his mouth pulled upwards faintly in amusement. "You'd have to work on that atrocious English of yours, first."

She scowled and jabbed him lightly with her elbow. "Hypocrite. It's not like your mastery of kanji is anything to write home about."

"I'll learn kanji as soon as Japan's researchers publish anything worth reading," he said dismissively.

"_You're_ one of those 'Japan's researchers!'"

"Unfortunately for you, anything I write will be in English."

"You couldn't publish anything in Japanese even if you wanted to," she told him smugly. "I've never even seen you write in Japanese."

He raised an eyebrow. "If I did, would that somehow make your English improve?"

She turned her head in irritation. "Just admit it. You're just being arrogant, stubborn, pig-headed…"

"I haven't said anything that wasn't the truth," he remarked disinterestedly.

"You're only brave enough to be such a prick because the professor can't understand what you're saying," she muttered under her breath. He pretended not to hear.

Madoka had run a good distance ahead of them in her excitement, and Professor Davis looked just a tiny bit red in the face as he attempted to keep up with her pace. The two of them turned around and yelled something, but whatever they said was drowned out by the rush of traffic.

In a blink of the eye, the two had turned the corner and disappeared from sight. Startled, Mai ran forward to the corner they'd disappeared from and looked around, but neither could be seen. Naru caught up to her a few moments later looking annoyed.

"Where did they go?" She asked in alarm. "I saw them here just a minute ago."

Naru didn't look fazed at all. "Just forget about them. It's one of Madoka's bad habits."

"Habits?"

"Getting overexcited, losing track of time, and dragging helpless victims around."

"That's why you were staying away from her," Mai realized. With his height, there was no way he couldn't have kept up with her pace. "You sacrificed Professor Davis, didn't you?" She accused.

"They get along," was all he had to say on the matter.

"What should we do? Should we look for them?"

"There's no point. They'll head back eventually." He glanced at the wristwatch in his pocket; the sky was already beginning to darken. She was tempted to ask what the point of carrying a wristwatch in a pocket was, but she decided that figuring out the current course of action was more important.

"Then, should we go on as well? To the office, or to the hotel?"

"There's no point in going to the hotel at this hour. We'll start heading back to the office in forty minutes."

"Forty minutes?"

"To avoid the rush hour trains," he explained as if it were obvious. She rolled her eyes. Of course he would be picky about crowds.

"Alright, then, what do we do for the next forty minutes?"

He didn't say anything and merely started walking back in the direction they'd come from. Some time ago, she would have taken it for callousness, but she suspected that he had no idea, either. The question of "what do two high-school aged young people normally do in the city on a Sunday evening?" was one that neither of them—a poor student and a workaholic—could answer confidently.

"Didn't Madoka point out all the good places on this street earlier?" She called out, running a bit to catch up.

"As if Madoka's tastes—" He looked irritated at first, but he seemed to think of something suddenly and stopped halfway. What a rare sight—she didn't think she'd ever seen him change his mind mid-sentence before.

"Didn't she say something about that one right there? The café with the rabbit logo," Mai said, pointing to a store with a pastel pink and blue door. The words were already out of her mouth by the time she realized that asking Naru of all people to walk into such a place might be on the karmic level of unleashing a hurricane into the ocean.

As expected, he gave her an 'Are you kidding?' sort of ice-cold glare. "She was talking about their terrible wait times," he said curtly. She had her doubts about how true that was, but there was no way to confirm it at the moment.

"Then… That one?" She suggested, pointing to a dessert shop with an elegant bronze door and, more importantly, a conspicuous "Sale!" written on the chalkboard menu by the door. He acquiesced with a sigh and followed her in.

Before she'd realized it, a good seven minutes had already passed as she pored over the menu with concentration. Desserts were a rare luxury for her, so she was determined to make the most out of this one.

"Gene was… much better at this."

The remark was so out of the blue that Mai looked up in alarm. His gaze slid to the window, unfocused, as if he were seeing something that wasn't there. Or someone.

She blinked. The awkward halt to his words, the slightly lost look on his face, the uncertainty that had somehow permeated his every word and action this entire afternoon—she wondered if this was the root all of that. It was rare for him to talk about Gene, or any of his feelings for that matter, so it really must have been weighing on his mind.

"Was it… difficult? Staying with your parents without him?"

Both his face and his voice were as blank as always. "It was quieter."

She tried to figure out the meaning behind those words. It could have meant any of a myriad of things; perhaps he wasn't even sure—didn't care—which it was himself. Naru only ever spoke in facts and definitives; perhaps that was just how he understood everything. 'It was quieter.' That was the simple reality of Gene's absence.

"If I were better at English…" Then what? It wasn't like she could fill in the holes that Gene's death had left. Still, if only she could do _something_.

He gave her an odd look and sighed. "That's not what I meant." His index finger tapped slowly, rhythmically against the teacup in his hand as his gaze drifted away again. "He would have wanted to introduce you to Martin himself."

"Huh? Why?"

The barest hint of a smile crossed his lips. "Because it's Gene."

"Oh." She couldn't say she understood, but the expression on his face reminded her of another conversation she'd had. "He did say… that he would be content as long as you were."

Naru looked away in exasperation. "That idiot… He should focus on his own situation first."

She snickered. "He said to watch out for you, too."

As expected, the corner of his mouth pulled down in irritation. "Tell him I haven't stooped so low as to require you of all people meddling in my business."

"That's what you say every time," she pointed out, then smiled. "I'm glad I can talk about him with you like this. He really is very important to you, isn't he?"

He shrugged noncommittally in reply.

"If you miss him, you can just say so."

"There's nothing to particularly miss or not miss."

"Can't you just be a little more honest?" Mai folded her arms indignantly. "It's all because of your roundabout way of saying things that no one can figure you out."

A faint smile floated onto his face. "Weren't you going to order something?"

"What? Ahh, that's right!" She gripped the menu with renewed intensity, jumping right back into her silent battle of a few minutes ago. "Lemon tart or chocolate cake?" She muttered to herself with a seriousness more fit for an exam room than a dessert shop. The chocolate cake was a bit less pricy, but…

"Get them both," Naru told her off-handedly. "Consider it Madoka's compensation."

"Huh? But, I couldn't…" She hesitated, appetite and dignity battling it out in her throat.

"She'll be paying for this _somehow_," he said grimly, and she had the feeling he wasn't talking about the bill. Poor Madoka—although she suspected that Naru would need more concern than Madoka.

Appetite won out in the end. What use was dignity, anyways? You couldn't eat it, after all. "Okay," she said, trying not to look too delighted. "Both it is, then. Naru, aren't you getting anything?"

"I don't like sweet things."

"Oh." Come to think of it, he never took his tea or coffee with sugar. "Shouldn't we have gone someplace else, then?"

"It doesn't matter. We're just waiting it out here."

"I guess…" She said dubiously. "How much longer is it, anyways?"

"Twenty-three minutes," he said without looking at his watch.

She'd expected him to comment about wasting time or having nothing to do at least once, but surprisingly, Naru didn't utter a word of complaint the entire time. Well, technically, it was his own aversion of crowds that had them stuck here, she supposed.

It was nearly dark by the time they left, but the streets still had a good number of people walking about. Mai noticed a patrol car going by out of the corner of her eye, but she thought nothing of it until she glimpsed the driver suddenly gesturing in their direction. His partner looked down as if reading something. Naru must have noticed as well, because he picked up his pace, pulling her along by the wrist a little impatiently.

"Is something wrong?" She asked, perplexed. He didn't seem to hear her.

The next thing she knew, one of the officers from a moment ago had gotten out of the car and was walking toward them, an awkward look on his face. "Excuse me," he said. It sounded like he was trying to be stern, but the slight falter at the beginning of his sentence ruined the effect. "It's getting late out, and it can be a bit dangerous for you teenagers to be walking out at night alone. It would be best if you'd come with us to the station, where someone can send you home."

She wanted to say that it wasn't even eight yet, but Naru spoke first. "No need. We're in a hurry."

The officer and the driver exchanged a look. "Really, it's not safe," the driver insisted. "I suggest—"

"I didn't know the city police had so much time on their hands that they could drive around escorting every teenager in sight," Naru interrupted icily. Both officers looked a bit troubled. As expected of Naru's poisonous tongue—it could even knock out full-grown men. Although, now that Mai thought about it, hadn't the officers seemed strangely nervous from the very start?

"Alright, then… hurry home... and don't wander about alone…" The officer's words dwindled into a mumble near the end, and he rushed back to the car as if escaping.

The two of them watched the car pull back into the road and leave. Mai thought she heard Naru mutter something like "Already?" but it could have been nothing more than her imagination. He resumed his impatient pace, and she quickly followed.

"Mai," he said suddenly, "have you turned down anything like a work offer recently?"

"Work offers? Not that I can think of," she answered, perplexed. "Oh, but now that I think about it, there was one recruiter visiting our school from… what was it… the Tokyo something Public Safety something or other… She just wanted to see if anyone was interested in an intern position, though."

"Did she approach you directly?"

"I suppose… She talked to three or four people in my class, though. I told her I had no time."

"Try not to wander around outside alone for the next three or four weeks," he ordered. "Don't spend too much time alone at home, either. It would be best if you stayed in a library or at school as much as possible."

"Why? Is something wrong?"

"It's a precaution," he said tersely.

"Against the police?"

"Possibly."

She was still a bit perplexed, but she nodded all the same. "Naru, you're not in any trouble, are you? What with calling Professor Davis and all…"

He looked a bit surprised at the question. "I'm not," he said evenly.

"If you were, you would tell us, wouldn't you? We might not be of much help, but surely with all of us, we could come up with something."

"I'm not stupid enough to land myself in that sort of trouble," he said, looking a bit annoyed. She sighed. Some things never changed.

* * *

_November 1, Afternoon_

"Yasuhara! Sorry for the wait!" By the time Mai reached the school gate after a sprint, she was out of breath, and she leaned against the metal bars to rest for a few minutes. "Also, sorry for making you come all the way over here."

"Oh, don't worry, it's no trouble," the university student said with a cheerful smile. "It's not that out of my way, and if Shibuya-san thinks an escort is necessary, he's probably right. Although, if he finds out about how that ended up working out in practice, he'd probably be sulking," he added cryptically.

"Sorry, what?" Mai tilted her head. There were times recently when she couldn't make head nor tail of what Yasuhara said, and now was one of those times. She suspected that he was enjoying a private joke at her expense, but since she was the one imposing on him, she could hardly complain.

"Don't worry about it. More importantly, I have what you requested of me."

"Already?! That was fast!"

"Compliment taken," he replied with a grin. "You don't have work this evening, right? Why don't we find a nice café near your place to go over it? I'll treat you with my winnings from that bet I won."

She stuck her nose up in the air. "Just so you know, I won't be thanking you for that, since I was the one who risked my life for it. How did you know, anyways? Are you sure you don't actually have ESP, too?"

"Goodness, I don't think so," Yasuhara laughed. "That was only an educated guess. From Kurahashi's description, the ghost didn't seem to have a very strong presence, so I guessed that it wouldn't be capable of possession, as Matsuzaki-san thought. There weren't any underground waterways, so falling into a hole was unlikely—although I might have changed my mind if I'd known earlier about the cellar," Yasuhara amended thoughtfully. "Either way, the rest was just luck. I noticed that the walls of the house were a centimeter and a half thicker than most residences, so I figured, with your luck, you'd probably end up in a situation where you had to try to break one. What kind of situation would that be? Most likely, being locked in a room."

"Incredible," she breathed. "Although I'm not sure I like the 'with my luck' part of it."

"Don't worry." He patted her head comfortingly. "They say idiots and scumbags are guaranteed to live to a ripe old age."

"Well, excuse me for being an idiot," she grumbled, and he smiled apologetically.

When they arrived at the café in question—idly, Mai had the thought that she was spending more time in cafés this month than she had in her entire last year combined—Yasuhara pulled out a few neatly stapled packets of paper. The sight gave her the familiar sensation of being on a case, but this time, Naru and the others weren't around.

"As you requested, Hirota-san's workplace address, and Kurahashi's work history," the self-proclaimed detective said with a hint of pride. "I have to admit, they weren't easy to get. The Tokyo Special Investigative Unit likes its secrets, it seems."

"I can imagine," Mai said wryly, picking up the thinner of the two packets. "I can't thank you enough."

"Like I said, don't worry about it. Although, honestly, Taniyama-san, I've known about your stalker tendencies for some time, but I didn't realize you were such a sucker for men in uniforms."

She scrunched up her nose and stuck her tongue out at him. "That has nothing to do with it."

"Hmm," Yasuhara said thoughtfully, his demeanor serious now. "As I thought, your instincts are telling you that there's something fishy about Kurahashi?"

"I'm not sure," she admitted. "I sort of got the feeling that he was hiding something, but I wasn't sure if it was just my imagination. Since the case was already over, I thought it shouldn't be too big a deal, but then that happened two days ago…"

Yasuhara nodded. He'd been filled in about the encounter with the two officers. "Hmm… We assumed during the case that it was an issue with the Unit, but it's certainly possible that Kurahashi's private interests are at work, and he's just using his position."

Mai flipped through the second packet. "So he's been working in the police force for… six years? Is that a very short time?"

"For being promoted to such a high position, it's certainly very short, especially considering that he got that position two years ago, meaning he became chief of the department after working in it for only four. Prior to that, he was a director at an international electronics corporation—another strange point. Why would he quit such a lucrative job and change professions entirely?"

"Umm…" She tilted her head. "He didn't like the company, or something?"

"It's possible, but he'd already worked there for a long time prior to that. Besides, normally, you'd switch to a similar position in a different company, right? Well, I can't say anything for certain, since people have all sorts of reasons for doing things, but it does make him look suspicious."

"I guess it does." She looked lost in thought for a few moments as she stared at the paper in her hands, then her head snapped up suddenly. "Yasuhara, Mori-san's been asking you organize the data for the incoming letters from the police, right?"

The university student blinked for a few moments at the sudden topic change. "Yes, she has. Wasn't that supposed to be a secret, though?"

"It is, but you already know about it, don't you?"

"I do, but I think you should be a bit more careful about speaking so openly," he told her with a grin. "For example, what if you misheard, or misremembered? If I weren't in on the secret, and I decided to blab to the boss, and he realized that you've been hiding an spare key to the postbox, that wouldn't turn out well, would it?"

Her hands flew to her mouth in dismay. "I wasn't really thinking about that," she admitted.

"It's alright," he said, upbeat as ever. "Honesty is one of your good points. Of course, as a fellow conspirator, I would appreciate a little more discretion on your part, but… well, I have faith. So, what were you saying?"

"I guess I was thinking… it's a bit strange that they've suddenly stopped sending as many letters, isn't it? Do you think it means anything?"

"It might be that they've given up. The boss has only taken five known cases for the police in his entire life, after all. They must have known it would be unlikely that he'd respond."

"That's true…"

"You don't seem satisfied by that," Yasuhara remarked.

"I'm glad that they've given up, but… it doesn't actually mean that the cases are gone right? I guess, when I go through all the letters, it kind of hits me that all of these people went missing, and no one will ever see them again. And the reason the police are asking Naru for help is because they think these are all paranormal cases, right? They can't do anything about it themselves."

"Certainly, that's true. But, by the time they determine that, it's almost always too late for the victims. I think it's best that you don't dwell too much on things that you can't change. The fact that you can sympathize with these strangers is admirable, but if you let it weigh too much on your mind, it'll only bring you down. The important thing is doing what you can do, isn't it?"

She nodded. "If only there was some way, though… Naru isn't the only person with psychometry in the world, right? Lin said it's because his is too strong that he connects too much to the victims, but there must be others whose abilities are more suitable. If they could just find those people…"

"That would be ideal," Yasuhara said with a forced laugh. "Unfortunately, there's just not enough knowledge about psychic phenomena. Even the researchers don't know enough about how it works at this point to do much other than give it semi-arbitrary classifications. Most normal people don't even believe in it, let alone know any details. There are probably tons of psychics who don't even realize what they are, or who are too afraid to say anything. Under such circumstances, it's hard to do any legitimate-sounding business involving what we currently consider the supernatural."

"That's why Naru does this sort of thing, isn't it? He said something like 'Because it needs to be done.' I thought he was just being full of it, but it's not just that. If people knew enough, not only the missing people, but also things like illness and possession and accidents that are caused by ghosts… At least, they might be solved earlier."

Yasuhara cracked a smile. "I wonder if the boss' thoughts are quite so noble as that… but that's probably more or less the essence of it, in my opinion. By the same principle, though, you should also keep in mind that sometimes there are more effective methods than blindly trying to fix whatever's in front of you."

"Are you making fun of me?" Mai demanded, but Yasuhara feigned hurt.

"How could I? Charging blindly into things is your specialty, after all. I just meant that since you're so good at it, it leaves room for the rest of us to focus other things."

She snorted and stuffed Yasuhara's papers into her schoolbag. "I don't really get it much, but I'll keep that in mind."

* * *

_November 1, Evening_

The hotel room was littered with papers. It had only been two days, but the place was already nearly as messy as Martin's study in London. It could aptly be described as a flood of documents, and the lone ark of salvation standing spotlessly above the fray was, ironically, the mahogany desk actually meant for such purposes in the corner of the room.

Actually, just thirty minutes prior, the desk had been just as hopelessly buried as the rest of the room. The only reason it was currently even visible was because a certain young researcher had unceremoniously dumped all of the desk's previous occupants into a pile beside it. At one point early on in his life, Oliver had attempted to keep their shared workspace in some semblance of order, but sadly, neither Martin nor Gene were talented at this "organization" thing that was all the rage these days, and Oliver had eventually given up and barred off his own section of the study, forbidding the other two from entering. His son knew that whether his papers were in one messy pile or another made little difference, hence the lack of reservations toward moving them around as he pleased.

Of course, "pleased" was not a word one would usually use to describe Oliver, and today, that was even more the case. Martin wasn't as good as Luella or Gene were at picking up on the subtle shifts in the reserved young man's mood, but years of familiarity had well acquainted him with his son's habits when he was upset or worried. The drumming of his fingers on the table lost their steady rhythm and sometimes skipped a beat altogether; he brushed nonexistent strands of hair from his face, and he sank so deep into his thoughts that he wouldn't even notice noises that usually bothered him. If brooding alone wasn't an option, Oliver tended to prefer Martin's company to Luella's or Gene's when he was in low spirits, if for no other reason than that the latter two would pester him to try to get him to talk to them about his troubles. Martin might be an eloquent speaker at the podium, but something like comforting his young son was far out of his area of expertise, and anyways, he figured that if Oliver wanted to say something, he would.

Despite the awkwardness, right now he was simply content to be able to visit; in fact, even the awkwardness was somewhat comforting in its familiarity. He knew that visiting recklessly could destroy his son's carefully-maintained anonymity, and the young researcher was normally too engrossed in his work to actively seek out his parents' company, anyways. Truth be told, Martin had been that sort of person in his youth as well, so it wasn't like he couldn't understand, but as a parent, he certainly felt a bit lonely. Nonetheless, he knew that Oliver's independence was an integral part of who he was, and as a father, he would do anything in his power to protect his son's decisions. Even more so, considering how rare it was for him to actually request help.

In short, that was more or less the reason why Martin Davis, celebrated professor of law of Cambridge University, was poring over last year's tax records. Various criminal case files, employee work histories, budget allocation records, and all sorts of other documents were spread all around him. Optimistically speaking, putting together what they needed from this mass of information would take at least three weeks.

He could tell that Oliver was impatient. His son hadn't spoken in great detail about the circumstances that had compelled him to call Martin for advice, but whatever it was was weighing on his mind. The young researcher hadn't eaten yet that night, and circles under his eyes betrayed his lack of sleep. Most likely, he'd been working through his own stack of papers late into the night.

"[Oliver]," he said gently, "[If you neglect your meals and sleep, your body won't be able to generate the energy necessary to handle what you're dealing with.]"

Oliver looked away. He didn't argue out loud, but Martin could tell he wasn't convinced. How did Madoka and Luella do it? "[If you look like a mess, your coworkers will worry tomorrow,]" he attempted.

Surprisingly, the persuasion seemed to have worked. The boy sighed and stood up. "[Thank you for your time, Martin. I'll come back and work on things tomorrow.]"

"[Of course, but your health comes first.]" He smiled warmly. "[Don't worry. Even if something comes up, I'm sure we'll be able to handle it.]"

He was rewarded with a slight nod in response.

Naru barely paid attention to the trip back to his own apartment. Just as he'd feared, they must have turned their attention to Mai. Had it been that dream after all? She hadn't said much, but if they already knew about the accident, they could have matched up the few details she let slip with the accident. Had they mistaken that for some sort of incredible psychic ability?

He forced himself to calm down and review the facts with a level head. It didn't particularly matter why they'd decided to focus on her at the moment. Most importantly, Martin's project wouldn't be done for another three weeks or more; she needed some sort of legal aegis during that time period. Matsuzaki might be willing to help, and she certainly had status, but was that enough?

He hated to ask for favors, even more so of Masako, but if she was the only one…

_It's only a favor,_ Gene's voice urged him. _Isn't it worth it, for something much more important?_

It wasn't _Gene_, of course; his fickle brother hadn't shown up since the case, and Naru still had no idea what trend governed his appearances, other than that he only showed up in front of mirrors. Even as a figment of his imagination, though, Gene's voice still retained the distinct talent of being both annoying and correct at the same time.

The phone began to ring just as he opened his apartment door. He walked over to check the caller ID, and he couldn't help but stare a little at the too-perfect timing, although truth be told, it certainly wasn't rare for her to call around this time of evening. He picked up the phone.

"Hara-san," he said with certainty.

"Naru?" She sounded surprised. "You've never greeted me first."

He didn't see how that mattered. "What did you call for?"

"I was wondering…" She trailed off hesitantly. "If you were busy this tomorrow evening. I thought we could have dinner together if you were free."

"I'm—" Busy, he had meant to say on impulse, but he remembered that he did actually have something he needed to discuss with her, so he stopped himself short. "No, actually, I have something I need to discuss with you."

The silence on the other end of the phone stretched for so long that he almost thought she'd disconnected. However, there was no dial tone, and she soon spoke again. "Then, I'll meet you tomorrow at six, at the usual station."

* * *

**A/N**: I realize, in hindsight, that I should have made it rain more in October. Let's just say it was implied rain. (I missed my chance for a sappy umbrella scene, though.)

Thank you, as always, for sticking with this story, and an extra-huge shout-out to all of my repeat reviewers—you are the wind in my sails. (I'm trying to channel my inner Yasuhara a bit here.)


	7. Chapter 7

_November 2, Evening_

It had been a long time since Masako had gone out with Naru. The last time she'd been able to convince him had been when she'd still called him "Kazuya." Even though she knew that his interest in her would only last as long as her hold over his secret did, she had always held a faint hope that maybe, if she tried hard enough, if they spent enough time together, she could win him over.

Reality was bitterly cold. Even when they'd gone out for concerts or movies, he'd looked tense at best, impatient at worst. After Gene's body had been found, he hadn't even bothered to hear out most of her invitations to the end. He never outright complained or spoke harshly, but she wondered if that wasn't because he didn't even consider it worth the bother. That was just how he was—if you didn't reach out to him yourself, he wouldn't even notice your existence. She had no right to complain; she had only been treated specially because of something as worthless as blackmail.

So, when Naru had actually accepted her invitation, she'd thought she must have imagined it at first. She knew she couldn't get her hopes up—a year and a half of pursuing him had all but taught her that—but she was only human, after all. However, Hara Masako was nothing if not a level-headed realist, and she hadn't come to this appointment armed with nothing but empty hopes.

She barely felt disappointed when Naru didn't so much as glance at her until they reached the restaurant, or when the only conversation topics he deigned to answer with more than a one-word response were work-related. Rather, if she had to describe how she felt in one word, it would be _tired._

In the brief moments she'd lost herself to her musing, an uncomfortable silence had settled over the table again. In hindsight, she wondered if she should have chosen a different restaurant—while elegant, the formal Western dining venue they were in had only quiet murmurs to serve as background noise. In a more casual place, at least the lively chatter going on around them would cover up the tattered mess of a conversation the two of them had going.

Her fork touched the porcelain plate with a light _clink _as she set it down. "Is the restaurant to your taste?" Masako asked with a delicate smile. "A friend recommended it to me last week."

"It's quiet enough," he assented distractedly. He had been distracted all evening. She couldn't tell what he was thinking from his always-blank face, but he was similar enough to her that she could guess.

"Let's get to the point, then," she said primly. "You're here with a request for me, aren't you?"

He blinked but didn't answer. Was it surprise? Hesitance?

"I spoke with Mai on the phone yesterday," she continued, since it didn't seem like he planned on responding. "She mentioned what happened a few days ago."

"That makes explaining easier, then," he said tonelessly. Even from his voice, it was difficult to tell what was going on in his head. "Association with your name will make her a more difficult target. It's only a precaution, but given past offenses, I don't trust Kurahashi's men. Of course, since it's a work issue, the matter is our office's responsibility, so if any compens—"

"Not 'our' responsibility," Masako interrupted softly. She had seen this coming the moment he'd agreed to her invitation, and she had quietly made the resolution that one way or another, her one-sided pursuit would end today. It was almost refreshing to let go of the bitterness and soreness that had been clogging up her chest for months.

He stopped mid-sentence, a slight crease between his eyebrows. Irritation? Confusion? "I didn't intend to imply that it was your responsibility. Since I'm asking a favor rather than extending a work request, natur—"

She fixed him with an intent stare, cutting him off again. "That's not what I mean. You're not just asking me on behalf of 'your office,' are you?"

"Of course I am. If you would prefer to discuss the details in the office itself, that would be fine, but I'm merely raising the proposition for you to consider as soon as possible."

She sighed. How could someone so brilliant be so dense? Honestly, what did she even see in him? "Naru," she said, tilting her head. "Even if you have good intentions, if you're so ambiguous about it all the time, even Mai will get sick of you."

The crease on his face grew deeper. He was perfectly silent—trying to puzzle out what she was talking about, probably. Hadn't she been straightforward enough?

"That has nothing to do with the topic at hand," he said finally.

"It has everything to do with the topic at hand," she told him, a faint smile on her face. "The wording is critical. I wouldn't do such a thing for your _office_."

He looked visibly perplexed now. "Although the issue is the office's responsibility, I don't deny that I'm… asking a personal favor, one that could be potentially dangerous."

"That's what I thought," she said, satisfied. "Then, regarding your request—I refuse."

* * *

_November 4, Afternoon_

Mai squinted at the now-hopelessly crumpled and wrinkled piece of paper, which held a hastily written set of directions and an address. Holding the paper up to match it against the street names, she looked around at the tall skyscrapers around her one more time.

As it turned out, she needn't have worried. "Studio LD" was written in huge letters down the building near the entrance; a blind person couldn't have missed it. She stepped inside gingerly, half expecting to be called out and demanded to explain what she, a mere commoner, was doing in this incredibly high-profile home to plenty of important celebrities.

Surprisingly, though, no one tried to ask her what she was doing, and she muttered a quick apology to the "Staff Only" door as she raced for the stairs. There was an elevator, but the last thing she wanted was to be forced into a small space with someone who would definitely question why she was here.

"Three-one-three… Room three-one-three…" She mumbled, glancing left and right at the doors to each side of the hall. Plush red carpet squished beneath her shoes; she felt like a dirty little kid tracking mud all over the house.

After what seemed like hours, she finally found the door in question, drew in a deep breath, and knocked. The door opened after a few moments, and a dainty young girl in an elegant violet kimono gestured for her to come in.

"Masako!" Mai grinned with delight and aimed a hug at her friend-slash-coworker-slash-former-archnemesis-slash-companion-in-suffering-slash-question-mark? Truth be told, she had no idea how to define their relationship, but Masako was as dear to her as any of the others she'd worked with over the past year and half.

Despite her doll-like features, though, Masako's eyes were ruthless as she gracefully sidestepped the hug. "Don't engage in such uncivilized behavior at my front door," she said haughtily.

"So cold," Mai complained. "You could at least say you missed me. Why did you ask me to come here, anyways? Was there something you needed?"

"Fill this out," the medium commanded, resting a hand on a few sheets of paper lying on her desk.

"What is it?" Mai asked blankly.

"Work," Masako told her shortly.

Mai furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "Seriously, you and Naru both—before you start ordering people around however you please, couldn't you at least explain a little?"

"Hmph." Masako only turned her face and raised the sleeve of her kimono to her mouth in reply. "What's the use of explaining things to a monkey?"

"Why, you…" Mai grumbled, but went to look at the paper. "What's this? On-site assistant? What's it for?"

"Obviously, they're employment papers for the position of an on-site assistant," Masako told her. "Since you're filling it out, that means you're being employed for the position."

"I knew that much," Mai huffed. "What I mean is, why are you suddenly hiring me as one?"

"You know you're probably being targeted, don't you? Or was even that too much for your simple mind to figure out?" Masako arched an eyebrow.

"Oh, that. Well, I guess it's possible, but it could just have been a coincidence. But, I am being careful," Mai added hastily before another barb could come her way.

"Hmph. Anyways, since you'll be closely affiliated with the company, should anything happen—say, if you're mysteriously accused of shoplifting, or something like that—there are company lawyers who will take your case, especially if they smell money in the lawsuit. Although frankly, simply being part of the studio should be enough of a deterrent for anyone targeting you. Just don't go and accidentally murder someone," Masako added unnecessarily. "The studio would probably just fire you."

"Is that what this is about?" Despite the insult, a delighted smile began to float onto her face. "Were you worried about me?"

"Naru asked me," Masako said flatly, raising her sleeve even higher.

"Oh." The half-formed smile froze into a complicated expression. She wasn't sure whether to be pleased or disappointed.

"Of course, I refused him." The medium sniffed disdainfully. "He shouldn't assume that I'll help just because he asks, and I am not so generous as to go around offering assistance to my enemies."

"Enemies? But…"

"That's why I'm helping you—because you're not my enemy. I'd be troubled if you got into a mess and started crying like a baby, like you always do. Do you understand?"

Mai's downcast expression lifted again, and this time, Masako didn't evade her hug. "Masako, have I told you before that you're absolutely adorable?"

"No matter how many times you say it, flattery doesn't work on me," the younger girl told her, but she had the slightest hint of a sincere smile on her face.

"Oh, but wait a minute… Do studios usually do things like that for simple backstage workers?"

"Of course not. You'll be going on-screen as my personal assistant during séances or visits to sites with spirit activity."

"Wait… are you serious?! But, I can't do anything like acting…" Mai protested with a hint of panic.

"Don't worry," Masako told her off-handedly. "It's mostly menial labor. Your specialty."

"O-Oh…" That was a relief, but somehow, she couldn't be completely happy about it.

"And, you won't be working at SPR for the time being."

"What?!" At Masako's glare, Mai hastily lowered her voice. "I mean… surely this job won't take all week?"

"You'll only need to come on the weekends, but it would be best for you to keep a low profile for the time being where SPR is concerned. Naru was the one who suggested it. He also said, 'With that head of hers, she needs all the time she can get to study,'" Masako said primly.

"Couldn't he have worded it more nicely?" Mai muttered with a scowl, then sighed. "No… you're right, I know… But, he should have at least said something to me himself. That jerk. I just hope it won't take too long. And," she added brightly, "Since he rejects almost every case we get, I'll probably be back well before we get another one."

"Yes. If your presence is absolutely required on a case, naturally, you'll be allowed to go. Not that I believe that'll ever happen." Before Mai could protest, though, Masako continued speaking. "Even though the work hours are fewer, your weekly earnings won't be that much lower than they are right now, so there's no need for you to worry financially."

"Huh? How did you know about that? Wait—isn't that incredibly high pay? Is that really fine? What happened to the person doing this job before?"

"They all quit," Masako said indifferently. "Since they were scared of ghosts." Her lips curved in a hint of amusement. "Lucky for you, a thick skull is in high demand right now."

"Well, thanks for that," she pretended to grumble, but she was still smiling widely.

"You're welcome," Masako said daintily. "Don't forget, you'll be starting next Sunday."

* * *

_November 5, Afternoon_

Hirota looked at the stack of papers on his desk with dead eyes and sighed.

"Don't do that," his case partner told him. "All your good luck escapes when you sigh. That's, what, the fifth time in the last hour?"

"Right, that would be a shame," Hirota agreed half-heartedly, though he didn't believe in things like superstitions. If anything was going to kill his good luck, it would be this overtime. Of course, he'd agreed to it willingly, but that didn't make him any happier about it.

"Don't be too down." His case partner offered him a tired smile, and he felt a bit guilty. She was just as overworked as he was. "We do have one lead, after all… it's just that it's… well…"

"Yeah…" He sighed again and cursed himself for the umpteenth time for getting assigned to the Special Unit. Where once he'd been frustrated because he'd thought of it as a pointless job, now he was frustrated because he suspected he hadn't the knowledge necessary to solve these cases.

"Hirota-san," one of the front desk clerks called, poking her head into the office complex. "You have a guest waiting for you in the lobby. A high-school girl with short hair—she didn't give her name."

A guest? He frowned, trying to figure out who it could be. High school? Short hair? He blinked and stood up hastily. "In the lobby?!" Why was she here?

"A relative of yours?" His case partner asked, and he shook his head.

"No, an acquaintance. Excuse me for a bit."

"Take your time. It's not like we'll be getting anywhere with this case anytime soon."

He forced a smile at that and quickly followed the clerk down the elevator.

Just as the clerk had said, Taniyama Mai was standing in a corner of the lobby with a bit of a blank expression on her face. She brightened up immediately when she noticed him and waved a little. "Good afternoon, Hirota-san," she greeted.

"Ah, good afternoon—or rather, why are you here? How did you even get this address?" The Special Unit's address wasn't something you could just look up in the phonebook.

"A friend told me," she said cheerfully. "I'm glad you're here. I thought you might be gone, since it's Saturday and all, and I had some important things I needed to ask you. Are you busy right now? I can wait, if you are."

He thought had a sneaking suspicion about who her "friend" had been. Wasn't that spectacles kid a little too savvy for a mere college student? "No, no, now is fine," he said heavily. "Actually, since you're here anyways, there's something I wanted to ask you as well. Here, come this way."

Mai followed Hirota to a small conference room on the fifth floor and closed the door. He sank into one of the chairs arranged around the long table and gestured for Mai to do the same.

As soon as she sat down, her expression became stern, and she asked bluntly, "Hirota-san, is it true that the police arranged listening devices during our case?"

Hirota nearly choked and had to take a minute to compose himself, gasping for breath. Oops, she thought guiltily. _Too_ blunt, maybe? And right after Yasuhara had warned her, too. When the officer had control of his lungs again, he took a deep breath. "Of course, I can't answer that," he said, sounding strained.

"Why did you do it?" She demanded, not backing away. "Was there anything you needed so badly that you would misuse your authority as police like that?"

He looked troubled. "I admit that I didn't approve of all the details of that operation. I wasn't even briefed about it until after the fact, and I wouldn't have had the authority to overturn it anyways. Even though I don't agree with it, though, Kurahashi-san does have his reasons for it, which I respect."

"Reasons? Even if you have good reasons, that doesn't excuse threatening people, does it? Psychic abilities aren't something for you to exploit. Naru has his own reasons for not accepting your requests, so you should take that into consideration before you do such things!"

"Threatening people?" Hirota looked genuinely startled and a little indignant at the accusation. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Then, what were those listening devices for? Why did two officers try to take us to the station in the middle of the street for no reason?"

He rubbed the back of his neck with a slight frown. "Look, I don't want you to misunderstand. The surveillance… not that I'm saying it was there," he corrected hastily, "but, say there was a possibility that we might have wanted to observe your actions, it would have been… Look, all we wanted to do was collect data for a project we've been working on recently."

"A project?" Mai echoed, dumbfounded.

"Project MT-02… although, it's the first large-scale project that's been assigned to the Special Investigative Unit, so most of us just call it 'the project.'" He cracked a smile. "Not very impressive-sounding, I know. We sent a letter about it to your office a while back, asking for your cooperation."

"Huh? Letter?" She stared at him blankly.

"You never got it?" He asked, puzzled. "I'm sure the post office said it was delivered correctly."

She remembered with a bit of guilt that Naru never opened those. "It might have gotten mixed up with some other documents," she said hastily.

"Oh, well…" Hirota scratched his head a bit awkwardly. "Actually, it seems Kurahashi-san tried to contact your boss by phone as well, but his call got rejected. But, anyways, that's probably why those officers stopped you. We did ask the local departments to keep an eye out for you two on the streets to try to persuade you to come in for a discussion, but perhaps we weren't clear with our instructions, and they misunderstood."

"I… I see…" Perhaps Naru had just been overreacting? He was the super-cautious type, after all. "So, what is this project, anyways?"

"Well, honestly, I'm not too familiar with the theoretical part of the project, but it's something like this… We don't have enough information about psychic phenomena in general, right? Japan, as a country, doesn't have any sort of organized psychic research organizations like the States, or Europe, or China, or most other large, developed nations. If we could build something like the Londonberg Foundation, or the Society of Psychic Research here, not only would it help with research, it could also aid with things like criminal investigations and general peacekeeping, and we could establish an effective procedure for identifying real psychics, and so on."

"That's true, but… I don't see how that has to do with what you guys have been doing. In the first place, how is that the police's job?"

"That's more or less the ultimate goal of the project, but the first step is proving that such a thing is necessary. In the first place, if you told a normal person that the government was going to sponsor a psychic research organization, they would laugh, right? In order to gather support for creating such a thing, there needs to be hard evidence that it's possible to get concrete results by making use of said knowledge. Since a lot of paranormal activity is directly linked to deaths and accidents, our unit is in the best position to get those kind of results—by solving cases, in other words."

"I guess that makes sense…"

He nodded. "The reason we, er, wanted to observe that case was to establish a baseline for identifying and handling similar cases in the future. We have no intentions of releasing or misusing that information. Actually, you weren't even supposed to know about it… How did you find out, anyways?" Evidently, Hirota had already all but given up on what sad excuse of a pretense he'd been trying to maintain.

"I'm not sure… electrical interference, or something like that?" She answered dubiously. "It's Naru, after all."

Hirota forced a smile. "That's… certainly true." He sighed. "Well, now that you know, can I ask a personal favor of you? There's a case we're working on right now, and we're going to be doing some on-site investigations soon. Would it be possible for you to join us? Of course, you'll be paid."

"Me? Why not Naru? I mean, I do have a little bit of ESP, but it's not exactly reliable..."

"Honestly speaking, our contact is a little bit… difficult to deal with… so if possible, I would rather bring along someone a bit more sociable…" Hirota admitted with embarrassment. "And, we're not looking for psychic powers or anything—we just want someone who's experienced in these kinds of situations and who can handle themselves in a pinch."

"Well…" She hesitated. Truthfully, she still didn't know if she completely trust them.

"You won't be committing to anything other than this case," he assured. "It's just that we need the help, and if possible, it might be a good chance to convince you that our work will be useful."

"When is it?"

"We'll leave the Tuesday after next. We should be back by Friday, if all goes well."

Friday… she mulled it over. That would leave enough time to go to Masako's studio for that week. All these back to back absences were going to wreak havoc on her studies, she thought with a sigh. "Alright," Mai agreed.

"Thank goodness," Hirota said, relieved. "Oh, and… please, don't mention anything about the project or the case to anyone. Of course, you should let people know you'll be gone so they don't worry, but all of the details are top-secret for now."

"Top-secret? Why?"

He smiled wryly. "Mostly public relations, I think. Can you imagine how normal people would react if they knew their tax dollars were going toward ghost hunting?"

She winced. Point taken.

* * *

_November 7, Morning_

"Are you still sulking?" Madoka asked with amusement.

"I'm not sulking," Mai said sulkily, resting her head on her desk listlessly.

"Of course not," Madoka agreed with an amiable smile.

"It's his fault, anyways. I was _right here_ for _six hours_ that morning. It would have taken two minutes. Like, 'Mai, it would be best if you took a few weeks off,' or, 'Mai, please take a break from work.' Even if he didn't add the 'please,' it would be fine. But instead, I heard it from _Masako._ Masako isn't my boss. She doesn't even work here, really. Even if that guy has no idea about basic human decency, he should still follow work etiquette, right?."

The researcher smiled. "Well, I do think Naru is being unreasonable in this case, but don't be _too_ hard on him. He probably finds it just as difficult to say as you find it difficult to hear."

"I can't see why," she grumbled. "He says plenty of worse things on a daily basis."

"That's different, since he doesn't really mean those things, right? It's not like he actually believes you're completely useless or hopelessly stupid, or he wouldn't be hiring you in the first place."

"Don't you mean, since he thinks everyone is stupider than he is, I shouldn't take being called stupid personally?" Mai corrected with a scowl, and Madoka laughed.

"That's more or less the same thing, right? Anyways, personally, I think he just doesn't want to tell you to leave himself."

"What, so he leaves it to other people? How irresponsible."

"Well, that wasn't really my point…" Madoka murmured, then surrendered with a shrug.

"You know…" Mai said suddenly. "From a research perspective, we lost out on a lot of valuable data when we exorcised the spirits from Kurahashi's case so quickly, right?"

"Huh?" Madoka blinked. "Why the sudden interest?"

"Nothing, really. I was just thinking about it. It was the first case where something wasn't trying to kill us. We could have stayed and just collected data without fear of being murdered or anything, but we had to leave in three days. The ghost was still being shy at that point, so we didn't even really get to see anything."

"That's certainly true," Madoka allowed, "But we wouldn't have had the opportunity in the first place if not for Kurahashi, so there's no need to dwell on it."

"Hmm…" Mai mumbled vaguely, and her head sank back down onto the desk. "I wonder what it would take to convince people that spirits are real… It always feel like they only start to believe when their lives are in danger."

"It can't be helped," Madoka shrugged. "It's human nature, after all. But that's part of the reason things like SPR and the Londonberg Foundation exist."

"Speaking of which, how did SPR get started, anyways?" Mai asked curiously, perking up.

"Get started, huh…" Madoka mused. "As far as I know, it sort of gradually grew out of the exchange of research and resources between parapsychology groups in Britain and, later, Europe and the Americas. It has an official founder, but he just happens to be the one who got the position of its first board director."

"Were there that many research groups that long ago?"

"Well… Even though it's the oldest psychic research organization, it's still only a few decades old," Madoka said wryly. "Parapsychology as a legitimate science is a relatively new field of study. Most organizations like SPR are still focused on standardization, establishing its reputation as a science, and things like that."

"Like research methodology? Is that why Naru is so fussy about collecting evidence and things like that?"

"Sort of, but that's mostly just his personality, I think. One of the reasons he's such a big-shot is because the methods he designed are some of the cornerstones of psychic research methodology. For any science, especially the newer ones, one of the most important starting points is coming up with ways to collect reliable data, after all."

Mai winced. She could feel a headache coming. "Mmm… so, then… what is it that SPR does, exactly? Bou-san makes it sound like such a big deal, and all…"

"If I had to say, it's something like an exclusive membership club for scientists, maybe?" Madoka tilted her head. "Whether you're an individual researcher or a small research group, admittance means you've passed a certain standard of credibility. It also quality checks and puts out publications, coordinates funding and networks researchers, and as the largest international parapsychology organization, it can even negotiate with local governments to some degree. It's also set up something like a scientific standard for identifying psychics, and recently, it's also been trying to set up ethical codes."

"Umm…"

"Identifying psychics refers to tests like that button test you took, among other things. It's a way of protecting psychics from media feeding frenzies like the Gellerini incidents, or what almost happened to Kasai Chiaki. Well, I say 'protect,' but its also partially another reputation-protecting gimmick." Madoka's smile looked a little strained. "It wouldn't be good for SPR if bogus spiritualists went around claiming things arbitrarily, right?"

"I guess… And the ethics part?"

"Ethics always comes up when it comes to research, right? As far as human rights goes, there's not much of an issue. The details vary from place to place—mostly things like how much has to be told to participants, or where it's acceptable to conduct field research—but for the most part, there's a lot of precedence for such things in the social sciences. When it comes to the rights of spirits and such, though, there's a lot of disagreement. For example, is it a violation of privacy to ask questions of channeled spirits that you wouldn't ask a living person? Should it be mandatory to perform purification instead of exorcism whenever possible? Should one be allowed to get rid of a spirit at all if it isn't doing any harm? To what extent should religious belief be allowed to influence such decisions?"

"Ahh…"

Madoka laughed at the lost expression on Mai's face. "It's true that a lot of those issues are worth considering, but to be honest, I think most of the people arguing about them just have too much time on their hands. It makes them feel self-important, but most of them haven't even stepped into a haunted house more than once in their lives. Half of it is just politics—there's a lot of contention between the various branches of SPR, and every branch wants to push their own reputation up by being 'right.'"

"Even so, I guess I've never thought of it that way. In terms of codes and rights, I mean."

"Oh, that," Madoka said dismissively. "It's necessary in order to get so many researchers on the same page in terms of policies, and to make a show of being official, but when it comes down to dangerous field research, sometimes you have to make the call based on gut instinct. That's what I think, anyways. After all, if it comes down to your employee or the spirit, it would be obvious which one you'd pick, right?"

Mai sighed. "It must be difficult for Masako. She thinks of spirits as living people much more than most of us do."

"Yes, that's true. Eugene was like that as well—I wonder if it was because he could feel the emotions of the spirits he channeled." She lapsed into a brief silence. "I think part of the reason he chose to do field research was because he wanted to purify as many spirits as possible, rather than letting them be exorcised painfully."

"Is that how it is? I always thought he seemed too nice to be a scientist."

Madoka tweaked the high school student's nose playfully. "And where, pray tell, did you get the impression that scientists aren't supposed to be nice?"

Mai hastily pulled back and rubbed her nose. "Er, other than you, of course, Mori-san."

The older woman laughed again. "Well, it's true, between Lin and Naru, I don't blame you for getting that impression. Martin's very nice, though, isn't he? Although he's only half a scientist, really."

"Really? What's the other half?"

"_Fussy_," Madoka complained. "Devoted silly to his students. Whenever he opens his mouth, it's 'Paul's thesis this' or 'Mary's research that.' He makes all of us listen to him rehearse his lectures when we go over to visit. All of his lectures are full of the most awful jokes, I tell you. I've told him over and over that I haven't got the first clue about law, and I don't want to, either, but he just tells me, 'Madoka, it's not about law, it's about the learning.' In other words, he's an outstanding professor, but a terrible drinking partner."

Mai snickered. "I wouldn't have guessed from looking at him," she admitted. "What about Naru's mother? What's she like?"

"Luella? Patience of a saint—unless she's angry. I remember Eugene once spent an entire week in the materials lab, day and night—he was acting like such a workaholic, I thought he was Oliver. It turns out he accidentally spilled coffee on Luella's favorite linens, and he was hiding out until she calmed down."

"I can't even imagine that!" Mai exclaimed in disbelief, almost knocking over a stack of papers in her laughter.

"You never get tired of hearing stories about them, do you?"

"It's always refreshing," she admitted. "Maybe it's because Naru wouldn't tell me anything for so long. It's kind of funny, how he's exactly the same, but also kind of different. And, it's the only chance I have to get to know Gene. It gives me the feeling that it would have been nice to meet him while he was alive—we could have been great friends."

"Just friends?" Madoka quirked an eyebrow, and Mai covered her face in embarrassment.

"Don't be like that," she complained.

"No, it's a good thing. It's okay to let go, you know," Madoka said quietly.

"It's not like that. I mean, I do know that, but I guess it's more like I realized it has nothing to do with whether he's alive or not. All I was looking for from him was comfort. In hindsight, that's very selfish, isn't it? It wouldn't have worked out either way."

"Certainly, that's a fair point, I suppose. There are plenty of people who settle for much less, though. I mean, rather than some sort of perfect chemistry, it depends more on determination or commitment, in my opinion."

"Even if you say that, it's not like I can understand what you're talking about," Mai muttered, then let out a sigh. "It's just that I sort of got the feeling that he isn't someone you can really give much back to, and I don't think it was just because he isn't here anymore."

Madoka's eyes drifted toward the light overhead. "I do see what you're saying. He was a sort of 'Happy Prince,' wasn't he? But that's just the way he was."

"It's depressing. If you receive so much and you don't even get the chance to return the favor, that's just too unfair." Mai tucked her chin into her arms as she folded them on the desk top. "Even if I weren't so full of pride…"

Madoka blinked. "What are you talking about?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"No, never mind. I just thought it wasn't like you to describe yourself like that."

"Like what?"

"'Full of pride.'"

"Did I say that out loud?" The younger girl looked astonished. "It was just a random thought I had."

Before Madoka could question her further, though, the office door opened, and a rather disgruntled-looking Naru walked in. If possible, he looked even more disgruntled when he saw the two of them.

"Welcome back, Oliver," Madoka greeted cheerfully. "How was meeting with the Louens? Are they adjusting to Japan nicely?"

He shot her an irritated look, then turned to Mai. "What are you doing here?"

"What do you mean, 'What am I doing here?'" She retorted, equally irritated. "I work here, don't I?"

"Hara-san spoke to you already." It wasn't a question.

"Yeah, that's right! Masako spoke to me. Do you know what she said? She told me I wouldn't be working here for the next few weeks. I should have heard that from _you,_ my _boss._"

He turned his face away and seemed to be scrutinizing the bookshelf. "It doesn't make a difference who says it."

"It does, too! Even if you're a heartless jerk, at least basic courtesy dictates that you tell me personally. It's not like you didn't have plenty of chances!"

"You shouldn't be here. It attracts unwanted attention," he said, ignoring her complaints.

"The only 'unwanted attention' here is you!" She snapped, gathering up her bag. "For your information, I was clearing out my things. Since I won't be here for several weeks, as I just found out two days ago."

"You could have asked someone else to do that." His voice was flat as always, and his back was still turned to her.

"_I_ take care of my own responsibilities, unlike _someone._ And anyways, what's the point? Aren't you just overreacting? Even Hirota-san says it's not like that."

"Hirota spoke to you?" Naru demanded sharply, turning around suddenly.

"I spoke to him," she said defiantly. "What of it?"

"Do you not understand the position you're in?" Audible heat had crept into his voice. Even when Naru was angry, it was usually ice-cold anger, focused and controlled. It was rare to see him lose his composure like this.

"I understand, better than you do, probably. If you'd been checking your mail, you would have known about that project whatever already!" No, that wasn't what she had wanted to say. It wasn't like she wanted to blame him for not reading those letters.

"Hirota can't be trusted," he said tersely. "Even if he isn't lying himself, he wouldn't be told the whole truth."

"Aren't you just being paranoid? Not everyone likes to hide things all the time like you do!"

"I haven't been hiding anything. It never came up."

"Oh, is that how it is? Well, then, fine, whatever! In that case, have fun with your secrets, all by yourself! I'm glad I won't be seeing your face anytime soon!" Slinging her schoolbag over her shoulder, Mai stormed toward the door to leave, although its weight made her exit a little less dramatic than she would have liked.

Madoka watched her shadow disappear with a sigh. "Would it have killed you to just honestly say something like 'I'll miss you when you leave'?"

"It's not a permanent leave of absence."

"Then, what about just telling her that you and Martin have already come across that project of theirs?"

"There's no point. We're not certain about what it is exactly, yet."

She ran her fingers through her hair with another sigh. "Not everything that comes out of your mouth has to be a solid fact, you know. It's an admirable principle to follow, but there's also something called 'the spirit of collaboration.' Even if you're uncertain about it, it doesn't hurt to bring it up."

"That's precisely why the world is littered with idiots full of misconceptions. Especially people who enjoy jumping to conclusions."

"This and that are two different things. I don't mean that you should go around saying things without evidence to everyone you meet. Besides, whether or not you tell her, isn't she already jumping to conclusions?"

He didn't say anything to that.

* * *

**A/N: **Alternative chapter titles: "Communication Issues: The Thrilling Saga, Part 1," "Ten Signs You Need Relationship Therapy," "The Anatomy of a Train Wreck, and Other Fun Short Stories for the Whole Family by H.P. Lovecraft"

As always, a huge thanks to everyone for your support, please marry me, let's have our honeymoon on Mars, etc., etc. I don't think I have much else to add at this point, so see you all next chapter!


	8. Chapter 8

_November 10, Afternoon_

"G.C. Electrics… they're one of SPR's sponsors," Madoka recalled.

"It looks like it. GCE is the company that Kurahashi used to work at. After Mai's tip-off, I looked into it a bit more," Yasuhara explained, spreading an array of packets onto the desk before him. "It's a large international corporation based in America. It started as a power supply company and has branched out into appliances, electronics, and security over the years. More importantly, it has sponsored or backed a large number of politicians, government agencies, and other organizations all over the globe—including Japan's police."

"A bribe?" Madoka suggested. "In exchange for some sort of donation, perhaps the cops offered Kurahashi a sinecure in some backwater department like the Special Unit. Shady enough, but it has nothing to do with us."

"That's certainly possible. From the looks of it, the company's willing to back just about anything," Yasuhara noted. "They've donated to a pretty stunning list of research groups and charities of all kinds. Well, that's somewhat normal for large companies like this, though—it gives them a good reputation, and it's useful for advertising."

"You think it has anything to do with what's been going on?"

"I haven't a clue," the university student admitted. "I looked it up to see if it would be of any help, but there's really nothing that out of the ordinary about it. I mean, there's plenty of shady business, but any large corporation has all sorts of backroom deals going on."

"Then there's no point in pursuing such a tenuous lead for now," Naru said flatly. "What about Hirota's side? Any sign of activity?"

"It looks like he hasn't tried to contact Taniyama-san," Yasuhara reported. "Actually, she was the one who went to see him that day anyways, so I doubt he will."

Just the mention of it seemed to irritate him. "Any other abnormalities?"

"That's no good," Yasuhara said cheerfully. "If you're worried about her, you have to see her yourself. I don't want to hear one day that you've taken to hiring private investigators to check if your spouse is having an affair."

Madoka bit back a snicker, but both of them stopped laughing immediately at the ice-cold glare Naru gave them in reply.

"Not," the university student added hastily, holding his hands up in surrender, "That I believe that would ever happen."

"Oh, just _go,_" Madoka told him, ignoring Yasuhara's plight. "I'm sure she'd be delighted. Well, she might still be sulking, but she'd still be delighted."

"The whole point of having her leave work was to not attract unwanted attention," he answered with a barely perceptible scowl.

"You're just looking for excuses. There'd be nothing strange about visiting as a friend."

"There's no purpose in it, and I don't have that kind of free time."

"Honestly! Why are you so _stubborn?_" She exhaled, throwing her arms up. "I give up. You are wasting all your opportunities. When you're thirty and alone and miserable, don't come crying to me."

"I would be delighted to be alone. It would save me from all of these pointless remarks," Naru said acidly.

"Can't you see that we're trying to help? And not even a word of gratitude."

"I don't know what you think you're trying to 'help' with, but you should reacquaint yourself with the definition of that word before you misuse it."

"You've been so _touchy _lately," Madoka scolded him. "And you haven't been sleeping or eating properly, either. You've been working on that thing you and Martin have been putting together, haven't you? Look, I know it's important, but you're putting the cart before the horse. There's no point in completing that while letting everything else fall apart."

"I don't need a lecture."

"No, you need proper nutrition and a good night's rest."

He glared at her again and stood up. "That's enough chatter," he said curtly, retreating into his office again. Only when the office door closed with a soft _click_ did the silence break again.

"So what is this thing that the boss and Professor Davis are working on?" Yasuhara asked curiously as he recollected all the papers and organized them into a pile.

"Do you want to know?" Madoka teased.

"Most certainly," he replied with a grin. "You wouldn't be so unkind as to leave me hanging, would you?"

"Of course not. It's a magic charm," she said matter-of-factly.

"A charm…?" He wavered, unable to tell if she was being serious.

"Yes, precisely." Madoka's voice was as upbeat as ever. "Or perhaps it's more like Perseus' shield."

"A mirror?" Yasuhara asked, even more puzzled now.

"Actually, that's pretty apt, too. I was thinking about the one after he slay the Gorgon and mounted Medusa's head on it, though. _Zap_, and everyone turns to stone."

"You don't plan on telling me, do you?" Yasuhara asked mournfully.

"Don't worry, you'll find out soon," she told him. "I wouldn't want to deprive the two of them of the chance to gloat, though."

* * *

_November 13, Afternoon_

It'd been nearly a week since she'd last set foot in SPR. Mai had almost too much free time on her hands—which was just as well, since there was plenty of schoolwork to catch up on. Though she still thought he was simply being paranoid, she'd dutifully followed Naru's suggestion not to go out alone as much as possible, but that left very little for her to actually do.

Of course, he hadn't bothered to contact her. It wasn't like she'd been expecting him to, and she definitely wasn't disappointed. That workaholic—he really didn't pay attention to anything outside of work at all, did he? Whatever. It wasn't like it was anything new.

It wasn't until Sunday was nearly upon her that she realized that she hadn't actually ever watched anything Masako had been in, aside from once or twice a long time ago. She managed to borrow a few recordings from a friend, and from what she could gather, the show involved going to famous haunted places and speaking with the ghosts there to figure out their identities. Just as Masako had claimed, most of the assistants on screen did indeed look rather terrified.

Though Masako had somewhat told her what to expect, the sheer scale of the filming operation still took her by surprise when she arrived at the studio. At the back of the building, a small crowd was gathered next to a large truck, and a group of workers were hauling expensive-looking microphones and lights and cameras. As she whispered a silent prayer for them not to drop any, a woman nearby gestured to her and handed her a packet of paper. "The script," she explained, and then left to shout orders at someone else as she skimmed the packet.

Aside from the introductions, which had nothing to do with her, most of the show wasn't scripted; it seemed like everything would be ad-libbed starting from when Masako started channeling. Only the setup for the séance itself was described in detail—the placement of the candles, the arrangement of the chairs, and the ritual proceedings. There were a number of prepared questions for the designated interviewer—a rather mild-looking man in his twenties, judging by the photo—to ask the spirit. He was certainly attractive enough to be a TV celebrity, she supposed, but she wondered if he didn't look a little too lukewarm to be speaking with ghosts.

After all the equipment had been loaded, she and the other employees were taken by bus to the shooting location—a rather gloomy-looking abandoned office building way out in the outskirts of the city. Masako and the other actors had already been brought over in private cars, and the medium herself was standing a few feet away from the building, gazing at it intently. Mai shivered.

"Masako!" She called, hurrying over. The younger girl lifted her head delicately.

"Mai. Do you feel anything?"

"What? Uh, a bit cold, I guess," she said dubiously.

"Not that," Masako said, looking a little irritated, then paused. "No, actually, perhaps that's it."

"What's it?"

"That building. As I thought, there are spirits there."

"Oh. Isn't that a good thing? That's what we're here for, isn't it?"

"They ones we film aren't usually strong enough to be felt from outside," Masako frowned. "Normally, it wouldn't be an issue, but you should be careful."

"Is it dangerous?" Mai blinked. "We'll only be in there for a bit, right?"

Masako sighed impatiently. "You really don't know anything, do you? We'll be conducting a séance."

"Why do you sound exactly like Naru when you do that?" Mai complained. "Of course I wouldn't know. We don't do séances at SPR. The only one I've ever seen was the one done by that other spiritualist group nearly a year ago."

Fortunately, the medium was a bit more helpful than her counterpart in contemptuous looks when it came to explanations, at least. "When a spirit is called, I channel it and let it possess me. That requires reaching out to it, so if there are other spirits nearby, then it's possible that they'll also try to answer. I can protect myself, and you can't be possessed by two spirits at once anyways, but since you have latent talent as a medium, they might go for you."

"What? Do I have something like that?"

Masako looked annoyed. "Of course you do; you can already see spirits, can't you? Even if it's unreliable. And channeling, like purification, is based on empathy, and being able to go out-of-body suggests you have the potential to control it. Since you possess both those abilities, it's only natural to assume that have the talent to be a medium as well."

It was then that a young man—the designated interviewer for the show, she remembered—who had been hovering nearby for several minutes seemed to perk up suddenly. A bit of an embarrassed look on his face, he walked over in what she supposed was meant to be a casual manner. "Sorry to intrude," he said cheerfully, "but I couldn't help but overhear your conversation. Were you talking about mediums? I'm a bit of a researcher on the topic myself, so it piqued my interest."

"A researcher?" Mai asked with surprise. "What are you doing here, then?"

"I heard that Hara Masako was a first-rate medium, so I signed up as an interviewer to take a look myself," he answered with an amiable smile, and Masako accepted the compliment with a graceful bow of her head. "Anyways, enough about me. I heard you could go out-of-body? That's pretty impressive."

"Only when I'm asleep," she sighed mournfully. "I'm fairly useless when I'm conscious."

He laughed at that. "So, you were discussing mediums, right? Actually, I've been trying to find a good opportunity to ask for a while, but… Just out of curiosity, what kind of medium are you, Hara-san?"

She tilted her head in response. "I am not sure what you mean. I specialize in site-bound spirits."

"Hmm," he murmured contemplatively. "Probably an interpretive, then." At Mai's confused look, he cleared his throat. "Sorry, I forget that not everyone is familiar with all these terms and classifications. An interpretive medium uses something like psychometry, which involves 'reading' the spirit and sometimes making predictions based on that. However, ghosts without strong emotions are difficult to see for those types. It's on the other side of the spectrum from 'non-interpretive' mediums who directly draw out the spirit without interpretation while channeling."

"You really _are_ a researcher, aren't you?" She commented, impressed, and he smiled, waving his hand dismissively.

"I'm really nothing; it's the subject matter that's fascinating. Pleased to meet you both, by the way—my name is Charles Louen." Although his name was foreign, she wouldn't have guessed it from his appearance, and he spoke with barely a hint of an accent. Now that she looked clearly, though, he was a bit taller than average, and the brownish hue of his hair looked natural rather than bleached.

"Ahh! The one from America!" She blurted out in sudden recognition, and he blinked.

"Do you know me?"

"No, I mean, I just happened to hear a bit from Mori-san," she said, embarrassed. "I didn't know your field of research was on mediums, though."

"Oh, I see. You're from the Japanese branch of SPR? I met your boss the other day." He offered her a friendly smile. "He seems like a difficult person to get along with."

"Sorry about that," she mumbled, then raised her voice again. "I heard you have a sister as well?"

"Yes, but she's out of town for a bit," he said with a sigh. "She left me to set up the laboratory all by myself—it was a bit of a chore.

She sighed sympathetically as well as Masako spoke up. "By the way, Louen-san, have you gone over the questions for today's filming?"

"'Charles' is good enough," he answered with a grin. "And yes, of course. I wouldn't want to mess up what could be my only chance to witness the one and only Hara Masako at work." Whatever Masako might say about not being affected by flattery, the remark definitely seemed to have pleased her.

"Speaking of which, Masako, when _do_ we start filming?" Mai suddenly remembered.

The medium raised an eyebrow. "At dusk. Didn't you read the script?"

"It wasn't in there," she protested.

"Hmph. They're still setting up the lighting and cameras. After they finish, they'll film the introductions, then you'll help set up the séance, and it'll start. It's fine if you mess up, since it's not live," Masako added unnecessarily.

"You say that like you're sure I'll mess up!"

"I wonder about that." Her delicate lips curved in an amused smile; Mai had no choice but to decide, quite reluctantly, to forgive her just this one time.

The shooting began just as the script had described. An elderly man in an expensive suit gave a brief description of the building as he walked around the first floor, followed by a unwieldy camera crew. Mai and three others waited in an empty room that had been stocked ahead of time with the necessary equipment for the séance. The table and chairs had already been put to place, and when the elderly man—the host of the show—reached their room, the candles and a few of the deceased woman's personal belongings were placed on the table.

There was absolutely nothing difficult about the work, not even enough for it to qualify as "menial labor." Unfortunately, that only left her mind plenty of free time to dwell on the camera pointed at her, and the fact that this whole thing was going to be on national TV. Her only consolation was that she wasn't anything close to the center of attention, and she knew from watching those borrowed tapes that her face would hardly be visible in the darkness.

Masako blew out all but the single candle in the middle of the table with practiced elegance and took a seat in front of it, a string of wooden beads in hand. Mai and the other assistants as well as Charles also sat around the table. In an ordinary séance, they would have had to link hands, or so she was told, but Masako had deemed it unnecessary as the spirit they were trying to call was already present.

"Come out," Masako called softly, eyes closed. "There's no need to hide. Please, tell me your name."

When the medium opened her eyes again, there was a dull glaze to them. Mai felt goosebumps rise on her skin—a temperature drop. It was a real spirit, alright.

"Miss Minaki, is it true that you committed suicide here on December 29, sixteen years ago?" Unlike the open, friendly quality it had held before, Charles' voice was subdued and solemn now. Mai thought she heard a sort of admiration in it, too.

Masako nodded once at the question.

"Could you tell us why you did it?"

Deep pain seemed to flood the young girl's face, and Mai winced—surely, channeling the emotions of someone who had been pushed to suicide had to take its toll on her.

"Why are you still lingering here? What are your regrets?"

The questions went on for about another twenty minutes, so long that Mai started to doze off amidst the darkness and quiet, soothing voices. The host occasionally narrated something or read off a paper, but she wasn't really paying attention. She had heard that the segment they were shooting was going to be interwoven with investigations of the actual suicide to make the final product, but since it had nothing to do with her, she hadn't pursued the topic in much detail.

Just when she thought she wouldn't be able to keep herself from falling asleep much longer, a chill ran down her spine, jolting her awake. Something else was there. Something else was next to her. Another spirit? And after Masako had warned her, too. She realized too late that after Charles' entry, Masako had never told her the proper way to defend herself.

Fear gripped her with icy fingers, but that only seemed to encourage whatever was nearby. Memories that she didn't recognize stirred faintly in the back of her mind. A worn baseball glove. Someone's graduation ceremony. An unfamiliar man. A glass of rich, red liquid. What was it that Masako had said? Empathy was the key to channeling? _Don't think about it_, she repeated to herself, but how on earth did you do that when you didn't even know what it was you were supposed to be thinking about—or not—was?

_Don't panic_, a familiar voice said, and all of a sudden, a comforting warmth washed over her. _She's resonating to your fear._

_Gene?_ Mai turned her head, but nothing but darkness met her eyes. It must have been her imagination. Why would Gene be here? She wasn't even asleep.

However, illusion or not, it certainly seemed to drive away the spirit that had been lingering around her. The warmth also lingered for just a touch before it, too, faded into the air. She waited anxiously in case either of them came back, but just like that, the rest of the filming wrapped up without a hitch. Masako and the other actors left first while the workers hauled the equipment away.

It was late at night by the time everyone else was dropped off back at the studio. As Mai began walking back toward the station, the chilly night air froze her fingertips, and she stuffed them into her jacket pocket for heat. Something cold and firm met her hand instead—a box.

She drew it out of her pocket; it was a slightly worn box of cards, the very one Naru had tossed at her several weeks ago. She had meant to give it back to him several times, but since she took off her jacket as soon as she got inside, she usually ended up forgetting again by the time he made a rare excursion outside of his office. There wouldn't be a chance to give it back to him for another few weeks, at least.

As she looked at it, though, she started to feel irritation rising at the back of her throat. To be honest, she wasn't even sure where it was directed—it was just a general, itchy feeling of restlessness. They never had really settled their last argument; she might as well march right over there and give him a piece of her mind, she thought. The office was only a few stops away, anyways, and it was practically right next to the station.

Her impromptu plan was ruined by the fact that Naru wasn't even in the office, though. The windows were pitch-black, and the door was securely locked. Should she come back another day? But even though she'd made her way here without thinking, her courage failed her when she tried to imagine actually attempting to see him. He would probably just ask, "Do you have any business here?" with a sort of irritated look. It wasn't worth it. She sighed.

She tried to stuff the box of cards in through the mail slot, but it was just barely too thick to fit through, and she was afraid that she would mutilate the box beyond recognition if she kept trying to jam it in. With another sigh, she gave up and fished out the spare key to the office from the ring of keys in her pocket. No one was in, of course, but she still tiptoed her way to where the slot outside connected to the postbox indoors.

After quickly unlocking it and tossing the cards inside, she closed everything up again and sprinted to the station with a rush of exhilaration, feeling like a child who'd succeeded in a mischievous prank. Once the rush died down, though, she realized that there was precious little time to exult. She remembered with a groan that she still had to pack for a four-day trip, and most of her laundry was already in the basket, so she'd have to take care of that, too. _Tomorrow_, she promised herself sleepily.

* * *

_November 15, Early Morning_

Hirota and his case partner, a woman by the name of Suzuko, met her in front of the Special Unit's office building just after daybreak. The streets were still empty, and their taxi barely encountered any traffic on the road as it made its way to the airport. Truth be told, Mai was a little excited—she'd never been on a plane before, even a short domestic flight like this one, and it felt somewhat like an adventure to be on a trip like this by herself. Well, as 'by herself' as she could be with two officers in tow.

The flight itself took well under an hour, although with security and everything else factored in, it was nearly afternoon by the time they made it to their destination. On the way, Hirota had her read over the details for the case. They were investigating the disappearance of a string of disappearances in the town of Asakura that had started three years ago. There had been no leads until a medium who lived nearby had contacted them just a few days before Mai had visited Hirota, claiming she could communicate with the disappeared victims.

Naturally, they'd been suspicious of the claim, but there truly were no other leads, and the psychic had come up clean based on the department's credibility check (although Mai still had no idea what this so-called credibility check entailed, and neither, she suspected, did Hirota), so off they were to see the wizard of Oz, or something like that. Neither Hirota nor his partner looked too happy about the arrangement, but Mai was falling more and more under the impression that their job was at least as much playing Simon Says with the boss as it was investigating. Perhaps that was just the nature of jobs, though.

After landing in Fukuoka, they dropped by the local station to borrow an undercover car (which was what they called it, but it simply looked like a normal car. Then again, she supposed that was the point) and embarked on another tedious trip. It took more than an hour before they reached Asakura.

By then, it was well into the afternoon, and they weren't scheduled to meet with the medium until the next day anyways, Hirota said. The first thing they would do was check with the local officers for updated information on the case. By "they," Hirota meant "the adults," which meant that Mai was relegated to reluctantly sitting around in the hotel waiting for them. She had to admit it was nice not having to do any work just yet, but seeing as she'd been specifically asked to help _investigate_, not being allowed to visit the station was just a little bit off-putting. What did they even want her here for?

She couldn't deny being just a little bit pleased when the two of them returned empty-handed. Looking morose, Hirota sank into the armchair in the corner of the room she and Suzuko were sharing.

"So, who's this 'contact' we're meeting tomorrow? What kind of person is it?" Mai prompted when all the investigator did was look sorry for himself for a good three minutes.

"Huh? Oh. Oh, yeah," Hirota mumbled to himself, then straightened up and cleared his throat. "I've only met her once, but she claims that she was able to make contact with the spirits of one of the victims of the case."

"One of the victims? Then, that person is…"

"Likely dead, if her story is true," Hirota admitted. "Not pretty, but it's worth solving the case if we can prevent any more disappearances, or at least find the victims' remains and ease their families' grief a little."

"So, if she was able to talk to the victim, then she already knows what happened?"

"Umm…" Hirota scratched his head, looking troubled. "How do I put this… She's sort of… She said she wouldn't tell me unless I came here, or rather, that there was no point in trying to describe it over the phone, or something like that. To be honest, I don't really understand what she was saying. I was hoping you would be able to figure it out," he admitted.

Mai nodded, although she had no expectations for herself, either. "I don't get it, though. If she could do that, why didn't she do it ages ago? Did the victim only die recently?"

"No, it seems she's been overseas since she was young. The house was part of the inheritance from her late grandmother, who lived here. She passed away recently, so our contact just traveled back here and happened upon our case."

"Oh… How sad," she murmured. "So, when do we get to meet her?"

"We'll head out tomorrow morning," Hirota told her. "She lives further out in the mountains, near the dam."

"I see…" Mai said slowly, absorbing the information—or lack thereof, really.

"Then, tomorrow it is," his case partner interrupted softly with a smile. "There's no point dwelling on it now; let's get some rest before then. Goodnight, Hirota-san."

Though unhappy, even Hirota recognized the sense in her words, and he rose from the chair with an exhale of displeasure.

"Goodnight," he echoed as he left. Then, with a quiet _click_, the lights turned dark.

* * *

**A/N**: I have to confess, I lied about the plot of this story; the primary ships are actually Madoka and Yasuhara as superior and subordinate CIA agents slash part time bank robbers, and the timeless love story between Hirota and aspirin. Mai? Naru? Background characters at best. By the way, Lin is the evil mastermind controlling everything from the shadows, but he converts to the good side through the power of love.

Now that I've spoiled the rest of the story, thank you very much for reading, and I hope you continue sticking with this whatever-this-is-at-this-point!


	9. Chapter 9

_November 16, Morning_

The trip into the mountain area took almost half an hour. Mai had plenty of time to take in the crisp early morning air and the scent of leaves that clung faintly to the gentle breeze. She thought she even heard bird calls, though they were far and few between as their car wound along the highway. Along the way, they passed a large, glistening lake surrounded by lush trees, although Hirota assured her it was a dam and not a lake, and she just couldn't see the high concrete wall at its end.

Before they reached the end of the lake, Hirota turned onto an unmarked road paved with rough concrete. She had to grit her teeth against the bumpiness of the journey, and the steep incline convinced her that they were about to fall at any time. Who in their right mind would live in a place like this?

It felt like hours before the road finally leveled out, although the clock at the front tried to convince her that it had only been twelve minutes. The concrete gave way to a dirt road that threw up dust to greet them at every turn like confetti. Surprisingly, though, the dirt road was actually less bumpy than the concrete had been, and at least it wasn't at a sharp incline that made her want to hurl.

The plain, normal-looking house that awaited them at the end of the trip certainly didn't make her feel like it had been worth the pain. True, it was a little on the large side, but it was no Emerald City, and it didn't even measure up to most of the grand haunted houses that she'd been to. Not a haunted house this time, she reminded herself. Just a normal house where a normal medium lives. Not that "normal" and "medium" were two words that should ever be put together.

Hirota and his case partner knocked on the front door while she leaned against the wall, still dizzy from the trip. After a few minutes, Hirota's contact, a tall, sophisticated-looking woman opened the door for them and welcomed them in. The moment Mai stepped across the threshold, she felt an overwhelming urge to throw up, and her hands flew to her mouth.

"Something wrong?" The woman asked with concern. There was the tiniest hint of an accent to her speech that was barely noticeable, but it gave her words a soothing, elegant quality.

"Sorry, I think I'm still carsick from the trip," Mai managed force out. She took a few steps back outside of the house, not wanting to get the lady's spotless carpet dirty. After a few deep breaths, the nausea mostly abated, and she followed Hirota inside.

"Don't worry, it happens to plenty of people," the woman assured her.

Hirota cleared his throat a bit awkwardly. "So, about the clues you mentioned you had for us… I believe you said you were able to… speak with the dead victims?"

"More or less," she answered vaguely as she led them through a simple but elegant entryway. "That's the simplest way for you to understand it, I suppose."

Her tone of voice seemed to irritate Hirota. "Anyways, if we could get to the point, you mentioned that you would be able tell us the cause of the disappearances."

As they spoke, they followed the woman through something like a spacious entrance hall with a grand staircase opening downwards at its end. To the right of the staircase was a sitting room with plush green sofas and chairs arranged around a low, round mahogany table.

"No," she corrected, sitting delicately in one of the chairs. "I told you to just come here and see for yourself."

The investigator grit his teeth. At the least, Mai could see why he'd called her 'eccentric'—that was putting it rather nicely, for him. "Right," Hirota ground out. "Either way, if you would be so kind as to point us to where or what the cause of these disappearances are…"

"It's not kindness," the woman said, waving her hand dismissively. "Like I said, it's troubling to have all of these accidents happening around this house, so I would like to ask you to handle it." Mai suspected that she had simply made up her mind to be as contrary as possible.

"So, then, if we could just get to the point…"

The woman smiled sweetly. "Of course. Who's your lovely companion, by the way? No, not that one—I've met her already. The younger one."

Mai looked around and realized that she was the only other person in the room. "Me? Oh, I'm only helping out for a bit, but… Nice to meet you?" She was about to stand up to bow, but the woman waved at her to sit back down.

"You look a bit young to be police," she remarked curiously. "Any special talents?"

"Nothing incredible. Experience, maybe?"

"Hmm. I see." The woman seemed to lose interest as quickly as she caught it and returned her attention to the now-seething Hirota. "Alright, then. You're looking for something like a small cave with a roped-off entrance in the mountains. You'll need to get it officially sealed off from public entry."

"A cave?"

"That's what I said, isn't it? You'll find it if you walk about forty minutes northwest from here until you reach the rabbit-shaped tree stump, then walk northeast for fifteen minutes or so. It'll be along a low cliff face."

All three of them waited for more, but she seemed to be done speaking and leaned back against the back of her seat and folded her hands in her lap.

"That's it?" Hirota finally asked in disbelief, breaking the silence. "Was it necessary to come all the way here to hear that? Don't you have something a little more substantial?"

"I don't know what you were expecting," she answered, sounding annoyed now. "The cave is here, so it's not like you had to go out of your way. As I told you over the phone—multiple times—I've neither the interest nor the ability to provide you with 'concrete evidence' or forensic details or anything of the sort. That's your job, isn't it?"

"Even so," Hirota argued, looking equal parts abashed and enraged, "You haven't exactly explained how a cave could cause so many disappearances. We've searched these forests before."

"Look. There's a mysterious hole in the mountain. People go in and don't come out. It's not rocket science—go figure it out yourself, if you're so adamant about it," the woman snapped.

The officer fumed silently for several minutes, then stood up abruptly. "Fine," he said curtly. "Thank you for your advice." Every word sounded tense and strained, as if he were choking on it.

As Hirota stormed out of the room, Mai and Suzuko also stood up, hastily giving their thanks to their contact before following him outside. Mai inhaled the fresh air with relief; it did wonders for the nausea that had still settled in her stomach, and she silently vowed to herself that she was never, ever going on a car ride like that again if it killed her.

"So, what do we do now?" She asked, looking to Suzuko, since her case partner was being less than useful at the moment.

"We head for the cave," Hirota cut in tersely, apparently possessing no intention of being left out of the conversation. "If we're being asked to close that area off, I at least intend to know why."

"That's reasonable enough," Suzuko said amiably as she headed for the car trunk. "Now I understand why our contact had us prepare hiking supplies ahead of time. It looks like there's no trail, so we'll have to navigate by compass."

"We won't get lost, will we?" Mai asked dubiously.

"Don't worry. All of us have a bit of training in navigation, even if it's not common that we put it to practical use. Besides, worst comes to worst, our radios are equipped with a GPS signaling device that lets other stations know where we are."

Mai nodded, reassured, and followed her as she started heading toward the dense tree growth. Hirota eventually followed behind them, still looking thoroughly unhappy.

* * *

_November 16, Afternoon_

"Bad news!" Madoka burst in through the office door, looking around. John and Masako had dropped by and were chatting on the sofa. At her entry, their eyes flew up in alarm. The doors to both the materials room and the president's office were closed, which likely meant that both Lin and Naru were holed up in their respective dens.

"Mori-san? You look a bit ill," John said with concern, standing up.

"Never mind that. Mai is gone!"

Masako also stood up in alarm at that, and even Lin and Naru both opened their doors in short succession, stone-faced as always.

"What do you mean?" John prodded gently, anxious but calm.

"I called her home yesterday because I had something to ask, but she didn't pick up. I called again today and there was still no answer, so I asked her school, and it turns out she applied for a work-related leave of absence until Friday." Madoka turned to Masako with a hopeful expression.

"She doesn't have any work during the week," Masako said with a frown, and Madoka's face fell.

"Where could she be? If she's not at home, either…" John lapsed into thought.

"You said her leave ends Friday?" Naru questioned, and Madoka nodded.

"That could mean that she's coming back Friday, or it could mean that she'll be out for the weekend."

"She did not inform me that she would be missing this week's shooting, so it should be safe to assume that she means to be back Saturday by the latest," Masako cut in.

"Still, that's an awfully long time to be out. What on earth is she doing?"

"There's no point in making wild guesses," Lin said firmly. "If Taniyama-san informed the school, it means she left intentionally. It's not our place to interfere without reason."

Naru didn't say anything, but he looked distracted. Madoka followed his gaze and realized that he was scanning her now-empty desk. It was a bit too late to curse her thorough nature; the only things left there were the office's pens and other impersonal items.

"At least, it doesn't seem like she's in any immediate danger," John said finally. "We should get in touch with the others and see if they've heard from her, though."

The others nodded their assent, but a thorough unease had permeated the room. At some point, Naru had approached her desk and was running his fingers across its smooth surface.

"Do you see anything?" Madoka asked, and he shook his head.

"She's alive. Other than that, the impression isn't strong enough. No details."

Madoka sighed. "We're probably just all on edge. Normally, I wouldn't be so worried if she went off on her own like this, I suppose. Although, she really should have mentioned it to someone…"

His eyes flickered toward her for the briefest of moments. "Who would she mention it to?" He asked, his voice devoid of any indication of what he was thinking.

She frowned, trying to discern what he meant. "Me, or you, or Yasuhara, or Takigawa, or anyone…"

"What for?"

The question was met with stunned silence. "What do you mean, 'What for?'" She finally asked with astonishment.

* * *

_November 16, Afternoon_

"This is the 'rabbit-shaped tree stump'?" Suzuko asked dubiously, circling a massive, misshapen lump of moss-covered wood that was hollowed out in the middle.

"It… does sort of look like a rabbit. And it's been about forty minutes," Mai offered optimistically.

"It's huge and serves sufficiently as a landmark. That should be enough to qualify," Hirota grumbled. Apparently, he was still sore from their meeting with their contact earlier. Poor Hirota. He definitely wasn't cut out for a lifetime of dealing with spiritualists.

"Alright then. Next, we go northeast until we reach the cliff face, right?" Suzuko inspected the compass in her hand and headed in a different direction.

The sea of leaves spread in every direction as far as Mai could see. Very early on, she'd lost all sense of direction, and one side looked much the same as the other to her. It was lucky that they were traveling along a slope—at least she still had "uphill" and "downhill" to guide her. Fortunately, the two officers seemed to know what they were doing, at least.

Dried-up leaves and fallen twigs crunched beneath their feet as they walked in silence. Most of the trees sported brilliant hues of red and gold, and a few were already half-bare. Rocks and dips in the ground hid beneath deceptive blankets of the fallen leaves, and she nearly fell victim to them at least twice.

Eventually, they reached something like a cliff face, though in truth, it was only as tall as a single-story building. Twisted tree roots poked out from the sheer dirt wall, and it was loose enough that she could brush off soil and loose pebbles, though on some parts of the cliff face, much sturdier rock lay exposed, bare of any soil.

"Do you see anything like a hollow or a cave?" Mai asked, looking to both sides.

Suzuko shook her head. "Let's follow the cliff in this direction, and if we don't see anything, we can head back over here." She used a branch to dig out a bit of soil from the ground, then stuck it upright into the dirt. "We'll leave this here so we know where we started."

Mai and Hirota followed her lead and made their way along the cliff. It gradually grew taller, then seemed to hit its peak and began getting lower again, until she could just barely reach the top if she stretched out her hand and jumped. That was when they found the cave, just as their contact had described it—with a knotted rice straw rope hanging across its entrance, paper streamers fluttering gently from the rope.

To call it a cave would be too generous. It was too low for a full-grown man to stand upright inside, and even though the inside seemed unnaturally dark, they could easily see the end of the narrow tunnel just by shining a flashlight inside. The tunnel was perhaps about fifty meters long, and the end seemed to be blocked up by boulders.

"There aren't any corpses inside," Hirota noted, and Mai shuddered at the thought. "We might as well take a look inside since we're here." He sounded displeased.

"Wait—" She reached out to stop him. "You shouldn't enter."

"Why not?" He asked, puzzled.

"Didn't that woman say that all the people went missing here?" It didn't feel sinister, but she didn't like the idea of walking right in, either.

"It's fine," Hirota said impatiently. "Look, you can see the end right there. And anyways, we have to check for possible toxicity or signs of struggle."

"Don't worry, we'll only be in there for a few minutes," Suzuko assured her. "Here, take my transceiver and wait for us outside. You'll be able to speak to us with it, and if anything does happen, it has a tracker that'll let the local police know where we are." Mai hesitated, but the officer smiled at her. "It's our job to investigate, even if it's dangerous, right?"

Without waiting for Suzuko to finish speaking, Hirota lifted the straw rope and ducked underneath, disappearing into the darkness. The other officer quickly followed, and the sound of their footsteps gradually faded.

"Hirota-san?" Mai called uncertainly.

"We're right here," he called back, sounding far away. "It's really dark—where's my flashlight?"

She knelt down against the cliff wall behind her, studying the transceiver that Suzuko had given her as she waited. The greenish screen was filled with all sorts of numbers that she couldn't figure out, and the buttons on the device were equally incomprehensible. Luckily, the "talk" button was clearly labeled, and she assumed that it must have been set to Hirota's device already.

Five minutes passed, then ten, and the two showed no signs of coming back. "Did you find anything?" She called into the darkness. There was no reply.

Her grip on the transceiver tightened. "Hello?" She shouted again, louder this time. She edged as close to the cave as she dared, careful not to cross the rope border. Something about it made her nervous.

Nothing. No response. Her chest clenched painfully as she tried to suppress the rising panic. She fumbled for the talk button. "Hirota-san? Are you there?" She asked desperately, and then again, but only cold static answered her.

She peered into the cavern. It was pitch-black, and Hirota had taken the only flashlight with him. Why was it so dark? It wasn't all that deep, and the sunlight striking the cliff face should have illuminated at least half of the cavern tunnel. Taking a deep breath, she put one hand on the straw rope. Something tugged at her consciousness, willing her to enter.

The transceiver, she remembered. It had a GPS tracker, Suzuko had said. Would it function inside the cave? Probably not—psychic phenomena tended to interfere with electrical devices. She laid the small, black device by a rock near the cave entrance. Then, before her nerves could fail her, she closed her eyes, ducked under the straw rope and charged inside.

It was cold. Freezing cold. She opened her eyes, but she couldn't see a thing. Desperately, she reached out to fumble for the stone wall, and her fingertips found rough rock.

"Hirota-san?" She croaked. She swallowed, then tried again, louder this time. "Hello? Are you there?"

A wind began to pick up. Wind? Inside a cave? No, it wasn't wind, she realized. It pulled her in, telling her to come, promising safety, darkness, rebirth. Something ancient lay at the end of that path, buried under centuries of dirt and irrelevance.

For a few, brief moments, she surrendered to the pull—it felt so very comforting, familiar; she quickly snapped back to reality, though. If she went, she'd never come back. The darkness pressed in on her on all sides, suffocating her senses as she grasped at straws, trying to figure out what to do.

The rope. She had to reach the straw rope. The wind siphoned away her strength, leaving her fingertips numb and cold, but she fought against its pull and struggled in the opposite direction. She clung to the stone wall to guide her, dragging her palms against its rough surface as she walked, terrified to lose contact with it for even a second.

The wind didn't let up as she got farther from its source; if anything, it picked up even harder, and she could barely feel anything in her limbs anymore. Her legs were all but lead, but even so, she lurched forward with all her strength. For a brief moment, one of her hands met empty air, and she nearly lost herself to panic. Then, her fingers grasped the rope, the straw prickling her fingers soothingly as if to reassure her that it wasn't a dream. She pulled as hard as she could, and it gave.

All her strength disappeared as she fell onto the ground along with the rope. The sunlight hurt her eyes, and she closed them tiredly, just relieved to be alive and feel the warm dirt against her cheek. She still couldn't feel anything in her limbs, and she felt awfully tired. How nice it would be, to go to sleep right now…

"Mai, what happened?! You look like a mess!" It was Suzuko's voice, but she sounded so distant. Thank goodness, she was alright, at least. "Are you alright? Can you walk?"

She grimaced and resisted the urge to complain that she didn't want to get out. With some effort, she forced her eyes open and pushed herself up. Suzuko propped her up on her shoulder, helping her stand.

"Are the two of you alright?" Mai asked hoarsely. "You went in and disappeared…"

"Is that what happened?" Suzuko asked, astonished. "The flashlight batteries suddenly died, and we couldn't find our way out. We just found the entrance again a moment ago and saw you lying here, looking awful. Never mind that for now, though. Can you walk?"

"Yeah, it's nothing…"

* * *

_November 16, Late Evening_

Mai woke with a start in a soft bed and a room she didn't recognize. There was a large window next to her, and outside, she could see the forest they'd just been in, though it was hard to make out in the dark. The room had soft, blue carpet and crème-gold wallpaper, and a simple but ornate oak dresser matched the door as well as the frame of the bed she was lying in. It was an elegant room, but it was difficult to appreciate through the nausea and terrible headache she had.

Despite the long sleep she'd had, she still had barely any strength in her body. She wiggled her fingers experimentally, but even that much was tiring. At least, she was glad she was lying down, or she might have thrown up a long time ago. Giving up on trying to do anything productive for the time being, she closed her eyes again.

_…n't get out._

Her eyes flew open. "… What did you say?" She asked hoarsely, but no one answered her. Had she imagined it? Cautiously, she closed her eyes again, straining her ears.

_… Where am I?_

It sounded like a different voice this time, but it was still faint. She swallowed. "Who… Who are you?"

To her surprise, though, the door to the room opened instead, and a very real, living person walked in. Hirota's contact smiled softly and asked, "How are you feeling? It seems like you've been through something awful." Mai tried to sit up, but the woman stopped her. "Don't do that just yet. It'll take you a while to recuperate."

"How did I get here?"

"You collapsed halfway back, apparently—the two of them brought you here," the woman answered.

"What was that thing in the cave?" She demanded, though her voice didn't come out very firm. "Did you know about that… thing? Why didn't you warn us?"

"I did, didn't I?"

"You never said that simply stepping inside would be that dangerous, though."

"What did you want me to say? 'It's a magic cave that sucks people in?' Would you have believed me if I had?"

"Yes," Mai told her. "I don't want to die early."

"Don't worry, that would have taken weeks," the woman assured her. "It can only trap you inside. You would still die of natural causes, like starvation or dehydration. I don't know where the bones go, though."

How pleasant, Mai thought wearily. "So, then, what was that?"

"I don't know its name," the woman admitted. "I speculate that it's an ancient local deity, although not a very strong one. That's probably why it ended up forgotten. That cave is sacred ground—it pulls in spirits. You look like you understand—you've seen something like it before, yes?"

"Something like that isn't supposed to pull in _people,_" Mai protested. "And why am I only one who's so tired? What about Hirota-san and Suzuko-san? Are they alright?"

"Like I said, it's not a very strong deity, but some time ago, someone sealed the cave so its influence would only reach what was inside. I suppose that concentrated the effect, so now anything that wanders into the cave can't get out. It only pulls that hard on psychics, though—I guess it's a bit of a picky eater. Normal people just get trapped there."

"It was _eating_ me?" She asked, horrified.

"No, no, it was just a figure of speech," the woman snorted. "My hypothesis is that psychic power is very similar to dead souls, so when the pull is that strong, it gets things mixed up. You do have some, don't you?" She peered at Mai, who nodded dumbly. "Anyways, that's why you're so tired—it'll take a day or two for you to recover, so you can rest here until then. Your officer friends are fine, though—they're as spiritually sensitive as a log. They've already headed back to town, and they said they'll pick you up when you're better."

They left me here? She thought accusingly. It must have shown on her face, because the woman laughed.

"Don't be too hard on them. They're making arrangements to seal off that cave from the public so something like that doesn't happen again."

"Oh… I see."

The woman patted her on the head. "You've been through quite a bit. It would be best to get some rest."

She nodded and closed her eyes. The minute she started dozing off, she felt it again—a presence, maybe more than one. They were all faint, but they were unmistakably there.

"Um, miss… is your house haunted?" Mai asked with a frown, and the woman blinked.

"Not in that sense. I gather information from spirits, though, so sometimes they linger for a bit before they leave."

"I see…"

"Can you see them?" She asked with interest.

"No, I just… thought I heard someone talking to me."

"Hmm…" the woman said thoughtfully. "Well, in any case, the most important thing for you now is to sleep."

Sleep. Nothing had ever sounded better in her life. As she drifted into unconsciousness, she thought she felt something comfortingly warm settle over her.

* * *

_November 17, Early Afternoon_

Lin didn't question why the young president was reading at Mai's vacated desk instead of his usual office. He looked perfectly calm as he slowly flipped through the pages of his book, but he drummed a finger against the desk top too quickly, and his left hand never left the smooth surface of the polished wood.

It might be a minuscule comfort, but reassurance that she was still alive was, in its own way, probably an immeasurable relief for someone who was all too familiar with death. Lin repressed a sigh—if the young man was going to be so anxious, he should have just gone to visit her earlier. She might have told him where she was heading off to so mysteriously, at least.

The assistant collected the day's mail, silently leafing through its contents. Though he'd refused to help Madoka outright, it was true that he was keeping an eye on things as well. A few letters from SPR, the normal assortment of bills… Nothing unusual turned up, so he brought the stack into the materials room and put it on a shelf along with all the other mail that had piled up in the past week. Eventually, he would have to sort through it all.

At some point while he was working, Naru had entered (wandered into) the materials room. Lin didn't pay it any mind until he noticed that the young researcher had been standing in front of the shelf of old tapes for a good two minutes. Had it been anyone else, he might have assumed he was browsing, but the young researcher didn't believe in such idle activities, and his memory wasn't so poor that he needed two minutes to find whatever it was he might be looking for. That finally got the assistant's attention, and he straightened up.

"Lin," Naru said finally. "Where did you get this?" He was pointing to a box of cards next to the pile of mail.

"It was in the postbox," he answered, puzzled. "I assumed someone must have dropped it there."

"When?" There was an impatient edge to his voice.

"Tuesday… no, Monday, I think."

Naru stared at the box for several moments, then picked it up and turned it over in his hands. "It's strong enough," he muttered to himself.

"What?"

He didn't seem to hear and continued to stare at the box as if it threatened to suddenly grow a mouth and devour them whole at any moment. After several minutes, he finally seemed to register the fact that Lin had spoken to him, and he lifted his head. "The impression is strong enough."

"It's Taniyama's?" Lin finally understood.

"No. But she's held onto it for long time." His gaze shifted back to the box almost immediately, and his eyes seemed to unfocus for a brief span of time. Then, his head snapped up. "We need to go _now._"

* * *

**A/N:** Hirota is that idiot in horror movies who dies first while going, "There's no such thing as (insert movie title here)." Mai is the idiot who dies trying to go after him.

In other news, Naru's finally had enough of sitting around twiddling his thumbs for two chapters and decides to be a main character again. (How _ever_ is he supposed to afford that summer collection Gucci on a background character's budget, after all?) Lin, of course, finds it thoroughly dissatisfying that Naru gets granted as much screen time as he wants just by throwing out a few ambiguous lines.

Anyways, thanks very much for your continued support, and leave a comment or something if you have the chance! It's always nice to hear what people think of the story so far.


	10. Chapter 10

Dialogue in [brackets] is in **English.**

Regular dialogue is in Japanese.

* * *

_November 17, Afternoon_

Although Naru had been insistent upon leaving immediately, the truth was that they still didn't even know which prefecture Mai was in, let alone how to find her. For all they knew, she could be halfway to New York.

"Not New York," Naru had snapped when Masako had raised the point. "There was a lake. I've seen it before." With that, his head sank back down again as he dug each and every trip he'd taken out of his memory in sequential order. For better or for worse, he had been to a good deal of lakes recently.

At some point in the midst of his fretting, John and Masako had wandered in one after the other, bearing worse and worse news. Between the two of them, they'd contacted Yasuhara, Takigawa and Ayako, but none of the others had heard from Mai, either. They had even gone as far as to call Hirota, but he didn't seem to be in his office at the moment. "Of course not," had been Naru's reply to that, but he didn't bother to elaborate.

At any rate, there was nothing any of them could do to help with the search. "A mountain lake with trees" was about the best description Naru could give even if he had tried, which he hadn't. Even if he could estimate the area of the lake, there were just far too many in Japan, and he couldn't be sure that he was seeing the whole thing. They didn't have the luxury of visiting each site one by one, as he had had with Gene. It was the first time he'd ever thought of it as a luxury.

"It's a reservoir," he said suddenly, sitting up straight. "In Fukuoka. Lin, what's the earliest we can be there?"

Startled, the assistant raised his head and immediately headed to the computer. After several minutes of busy typing and clicking, he frowned. "Not until tomorrow morning, by plane."

Tomorrow morning. It would take more than an hour from the airport to reach the reservoir, and then they would have to search manually. Still, it was the best they could do, and it was better than nothing, he supposed. He gave Lin a sharp nod.

At that point, Masako finally interrupted. "What is this urgency about?" She demanded. It was obvious that she'd been holding her words back for some time. "Is Mai in danger?"

John waited anxiously for the answer as well, but Naru only looked distracted. "It's hard to say," he said finally.

"Naru," John ventured hesitantly, "I understand your concern, but perhaps the stress is making you a bit hasty. If we know where she is, perhaps getting in contact first…"

"It's not that simple!" Naru stopped abruptly and exhaled when he realized he'd lashed out at John for no reason. He brushed imaginary strands of hair out of his face and took a breath, sounding more composed this time at least, if not any more calm than before. "Something doesn't add up." That was all the explanation he had the energy to give.

Masako seemed to ponder briefly before she turned her sharp eyes to Lin. "Please book a ticket for myself and John as well," she ordered.

"Me?" The exorcist asked, startled. "Of course, I would like to go, but…" His gaze drifted toward the researcher staring intently out the window.

Naru didn't seem to realize that he was being silently questioned for a good few moments; it was only after the silence had become practically deafening that he turned his eyes back toward the others and answered. "Do whatever you like," he said shortly.

* * *

_November 17, Evening_

Mai drifted in and out of consciousness for hours on end. Whether she was awake or asleep, she could sense with growing acuity the presence of many, many others in the room. Though she couldn't see them, their voices mingled in the air like conversation.

_Where am I?_

_ I can't get out._

_ I want to go back._

_ Take me with you._

Their whispers had a sense of urgency, but each individual presence was faint, and they held no hint of malice—they were merely lost, confused. At first, they had been intrusive, probing, but at some point, a strange sort of warmth had settled over her, and despite how heavy her body still was, she felt light and airy as if she were detached from her physical form altogether. After that, listening to the spirits' whispers had become almost comfortable.

_They don't mean any harm. The pull of the living is just too strong._ The thought rose to her mind unbidden, but it didn't seem like something she would think of herself.

She could make out the voices of children and men and women young and old, especially old men. There were a lot of old men. Though the spirits spoke not so much in words as in emotions, there was a foreignness to many of them that made her certain they weren't Japanese. Were these the lingering spirits that the woman conversed with? Though they seemed interesting enough, she really should find some conversation partners who weren't dead, Mai thought wryly. Especially when most of these spirits didn't even seem to want to be here. In fact, rather than "lingering," it seemed more accurate to say that they were trapped.

Trapped. Yes, that was it. They were trapped. By what? They didn't seem to have any attachments to this world. Even though their voices rang clearly in her mind, no matter how much she tried, her own words didn't reach them. If there was no way to speak to them at all, it might be necessary to perform an exorcism on the place, she thought heavily.

The regret cut through the hazy shroud of sleep that still blanketed her mind. What time was it? It was still dusky outside. 'Still?' Something about that didn't sound right. It had been dark when she'd gone to sleep, and no matter how she looked at it, that was sunset outside, not sunrise. Had it been a whole day already? She needed to find out how Hirota and Suzuko were doing.

With difficulty, she forced herself to sit up. It took several tries; she'd slept for so long that her body didn't seem to belong to her anymore. It felt like she'd forgotten how to use her own muscles, but after several minutes, she'd somewhat readjusted herself to moving around.

A small, tattered black notebook on the dresser top caught her eye. She staggered over and picked it up, propping herself against the wall as she flipped it open. An inundation of hastily scrawled, barely legible English letters assaulted her eyes and made her wince. Just the sight of it threatened to bring her headache back; it seemed like no matter where she went, she couldn't escape from this accursed language. Since it was in English, she wouldn't be able to decipher it, though.

Couldn't she? Why wouldn't she know English? She spoke it all the time.

When she came back to her senses again, she frowned. True, she was prone to daydreams, but she didn't think she was so far gone that she wouldn't be able to distinguish her fantasies from reality. The terrible handwriting only further stirred her headache, though, so she closed it and clutched it tightly to her chest. Now that some of her focus had returned, she could make out someone's muffled speaking voice in the distance. Not a spirit—a real person.

Cautiously, she tiptoed to the door and opened it just a crack. To her relief, the door didn't so much as creak, and she put her ear to the door to listen.

"[… unexpected… should have… such assumptions…]"

It was unmistakably their contact's voice, but she was still too far to make out what she was saying, and it sounded partway like gibberish, besides. Should she try to get closer? Eavesdropping wasn't a very polite thing to do, after all, especially when you were borrowing someone's room. If the woman was speaking to Hirota or Suzuko, though, Mai wanted to let them know that she was awake, at least. She decided she'd listen in for just a bit and leave if it seemed like something private.

The voice was coming from downstairs. The bedroom she'd been using was on the second floor, then. She made her way down the hall slowly toward the railing of the stairs, careful not to let herself fall. Once she reached the top of the stairs, the woman's voice became much clearer.

"[… telling you, you were wrong. If she had the ability to channel, it would have been obvious hours ago.]"

Who was she talking to? There were no other voices, so Mai could only assume she was speaking on the phone. More importantly, who were they talking about? Unless there was someone else in the house, were they talking about her…? The surprise distracted her from the fact that she was listening to a language she wasn't supposed to be able to understand.

"[Of course _I'm_ not wrong! I know every spirit in this house. I would be able to tell.]"

There was another pause, and the woman sounded annoyed now.

"[Look, Charles, just admit it. Your theory was flawed from the start. Even if the conditions seem right, psychic abilities are just too unpredictable.]"

Charles? A foreign name, how odd. Speaking of which, hadn't she met a Charles just the other day? It seemed like it would be too much of a coincidence if they happened to know each other, though, and anyways, she was pretty sure it wasn't that uncommon of a name in Western countries.

"[I told you, you should have looked into Oliver Davis' potential when you had the chance.]"

…Naru?

The woman paused again. "[I know he doesn't have any predisposition for it," she snapped. "But an individual compatibility is good enough. Twin studies have always produced exceptional results.]"

Cold sweat ran down her back. What was the woman talking about?

"[Of course he would. It's his brother, isn't it? And even if he doesn't, aren't you supposed to be the persuasive one?]"

His brother? Was she talking about Gene? What on earth was going on? She didn't know, but something about it gave her a terrible feeling. Naru. She had to do something. She had to warn him, tell him to stay awa—

Searing pain suddenly split her skull. She doubled over, clutching her head and almost losing her grip on the notebook she was holding. It felt like fire was burning her veins, and her vision went blurry. She couldn't tell up from down anymore, and she didn't dare stand up for fear of tumbling down the stairs. The agonizing heat threatened to tear her apart inside out, scorching every cell in her body—

And then just as suddenly, it stopped. Warily, she raised a hand to look at it, but something felt strange. Was this really her hand? When had she come here? No, she had no time to waste fretting over these questions for now. She had to warn Naru. Naru? Something about that name felt subtly wrong. Did she really call him that? No, no, it didn't matter. She had to warn him. That was the only thing that the doubts in her head didn't question.

The notebook still held tightly in her head, she lurched back toward her own room. Walking was difficult. Taking simple steps, turning the doorknob—she hadn't done any of these things in so long, and everything felt just a tiny bit _wrong_. The distance wasn't the same, the amount of strength she put into her fingers wasn't the same. To make it worse, this body was still tired, and the exhaustion threatened to steal away what little control she had over her consciousness.

With clumsy, fumbling motions, she managed to unlatch the window and swung it outwards. It was the second story, but the walls were uneven, and there were plenty of footholds. The grass underneath was also soft, and there were plenty of leaves there to catch her fall. She had been good at climbing, once.

She made it about halfway down the building before she lost her grip and slipped. Just as she'd expected, the grass and leaves broke her fall somewhat, though it still hurt. Gingerly, she pressed a finger against her thigh. That would definitely bruise. There were a few more scrapes here and there, and her ankle throbbed terribly, but at least nothing was broken.

Somehow, she felt a lot better now that she was outside the house. She didn't know if it was because of the presence of all those spirits, but something about the house had made her feel sick. Eager to get as far away from it as she could, she dragged herself to her feet and stumbled down the dirt path.

It was no good. Her ankle might have been sprained; every step hurt. She found a thick enough branch of about proper length and used it to prop herself up. It was still slow going, but at least it was enough for her to walk with.

The dirt path had felt long enough during the car ride, but it seemed to stretch on endlessly now that she was on foot. By the time she reached the steep concrete road, the moon was the only source of light. She wasn't used to the wilderness, and she'd never realized how dark it was without streetlights or even far-off buildings to illuminate the scenery.

Regardless, she left the road and walked among the trees instead, though she was careful to stay close so she wouldn't get lost. Over time, the only sensation left in her body was a dull ache that was easy to ignore. Forgetting the pain meant giving her mind time to wander other thoughts, though, and the more she thought, the more confused she became. Why was she here in the first place? She had been on a case… With Hirota? Who was that? No, she'd gone alone because her brother had told her it was a waste of time. Before that… Before that…

It was no use. Thinking was too difficult. The warning—that was the only coherent thing keeping her scattered thoughts together, but she wasn't used to her body yet, and she didn't realize until it was too late that there was no strength left in it. Her limbs gave way, and she fell to the ground with a heavy thud. _I hope there aren't any wild bears around here,_ was her last conscious thought before sleep claimed her.

* * *

_November 18, Noon_

It had been impossible to book five tickets for the earliest flight to Fukuoka, so Naru and Lin had gone ahead first while Madoka, Masako, and John took the next available one. The three of them would try to get in contact with Hirota while Naru and Lin searched for Mai, and they arranged to meet up at the hospital. Since Naru had been the one to suggest the hospital as the meeting place, his complexion frightfully pale as he said it, no one had had the heart to question him.

Lin managed to get his hands on a rental car with incredible haste, and they all but pushed the speed limit the entire way there. Naru never stopped fidgeting with the box of cards in his hands, and his eyes were glued to the scenery.

"There," he said abruptly, pointing to an unmarked road on the highway that would have been easy to miss. They almost did miss it, and Lin had to slam on the brakes to make the turn in time. From there, it became difficult. It was impossible to tell one patch of trees for another, and he didn't want to risk overlooking her by driving past. He got out and began searching on foot as Lin followed slowly by car.

It took nearly half an hour to find her, due in part to the unfortunate fact that her clothes and hair were both roughly the same color as the leaves on the ground. He checked her pulse and breathing; both were regular. There was something in her hands, too—a black notebook that, even unconscious, she was clutching as if her life depended on it.

With a bit of effort—he was glad she didn't weigh that much more than the heavier equipment—he lifted her and carried her back to where Lin was waiting with the car. After arranging her somewhat unceremoniously in the back seat, he got back in as well, and Lin performed a beautiful, if highly uncomfortable turnaround and started driving back toward the main road. Neither of them spoke a word.

Madoka and the others still hadn't returned by the time they reached the hospital and checked her in. Mai was wheeled into one of the emergency rooms, and a few quick CT scans and x-rays were conducted, but to their relief, her state didn't seem to be critical.

"It doesn't seem to be anything major," the doctor assured them. "No head injuries, no broken bones. She's got a sprained ankle, but it's not too bad, and with a bit of rest and rehabilitation, it'll be good as new. There's no clear reason for her unconsciousness, but it's likely dehydration and low blood sugar levels—we've got her on the IV drip, so she'll hopefully wake in a few hours."

Naru nodded tersely and entered her room. Just as he'd said, there was a tube sticking out of her arm, but she looked practically asleep—too asleep, since her sleeping posture was usually terrible. Then again, most of his knowledge on that subject was limited to right after she was woken by nightmares, so perhaps it wasn't the most accurate.

Her lips moved faintly, and it sounded like she was in pain. He bent his head closer to make out what she was saying.

"[… hospital fees…]" she moaned softly, and he didn't know whether he was supposed to laugh or cry. He settled for sighing.

"[_That's_ what you're worried about?]" he muttered under his breath.

Still, at least, if she could worry about financial issues while unconscious, she couldn't be in that much danger. He wondered why he couldn't shake off the feeling that something was still wrong, though.

Madoka and the others arrived shortly afterwards, and Lin briefed them quickly about Mai's condition. John and Madoka entered first, and relief was etched clearly on their faces. However, the moment Masako stepped into the room, her mouth fell open. A troubled expression floated onto her face, and she looked at Naru, then at Mai again, then back at Naru. Her eyes finally settled on Mai.

"Is that… Eugene…?" She finally said hoarsely.

Stunned silence filled the room.

"You mean… in this room? You can see him?" Madoka asked in disbelief.

"I… don't know," Masako answered, astonished herself. "I've never seen anything like this… Is he… possessing her?"

"Gene is? _Gene_ is? Are you certain?" Madoka shook her head, unwilling to accept it.

"I'm not sure. I can't see his form clearly."

"It doesn't matter who it is. If something's possessing her, it needs to be exorcised," Naru said flatly. "John, please." The exorcist looked perplexed.

"But Naru, it could be _Gene,_" Madoka protested.

"If he's gone so far as to possess someone, it isn't him."

"What if he did it because he has something important to say?"

"Madoka!" Naru snapped.

John glanced between the two of them. "It won't exorcise him completely," he offered placatingly. "He'll just be driven out."

Madoka frowned but relented, and Naru turned his head away.

The exorcist didn't bother changing; ultimately, the clothes didn't make a difference, although they did make him feel more confident. He supposed that was the key. Taking out the holy water and bible that he always carried with him, he murmured the familiar prayers in a slow and steady pace. There was little resistance—was he leaving peacefully? No, it wasn't that there was little resistance, it was that _no_ resistance at all. He ended the prayer and drew the shape of a cross in holy water on her forehead, but he couldn't feel anything leave.

With a frown, he turned toward Masako. "What did you see?" He asked uncertainly.

She shook her head, wide-eyed. "Nothing happened."

"The exorcism failed?" Madoka asked. Naru remained silent, but his gaze echoed her question.

"I suppose so… There was no resistance at all, though," he said slowly, trying to piece what had just happened together himself. "It wasn't that I couldn't drive it away, it was that there was nothing _to_ drive away. As if there was nothing to exorcise."

Masako stiffened. "I'm not mistaken," she insisted. "He's still there—a boy who looks exactly like Naru. He looks hazy, so it's hard to see him clearly, and his outline is stuck closely to Mai."

"We're not questioning your abilities," Madoka assured, then sighed. "It looks like he's not doing any harm for the time being, at least. Perhaps it would be best to wait until she wakes up."

John nodded. "Perhaps Mai will know more about what's going on. It might have something to do with the state you found her in."

The medium relented at that, and Madoka stood up. "Masako, I think it's best if you keep an eye on Mai for now. I'll go make arrangements at a hotel."

"I'll come as well," John offered, following her out.

Naru still didn't say a word; he simply stared at the wall as if the world's most fascinating movie were playing on it. It was a full ten minutes before he seemed to snap out of his reverie and turned to Masako.

"Hara-san, did you manage to get in contact with Hirota?"

She had also been dozing off and blinked at the question. "Yes. I met him and his partner. They said they were here to conduct an investigation regarding several missing persons cases, although they still don't seem to know exactly what the cause is. I suspect only their contact, this 'Andrea Louen,' and perhaps Mai are clear about the details."

"As I thought…" He muttered, his eyes falling onto the black notebook on the countertop. The doctors had taken it out of Mai's hands before the x-rays. He flipped it open and scanned its contents; the notes were barely legible, even for him. He could make out a few words here and there, but the majority of it seemed to be chicken scratch—or perhaps code.

Masako looked at him questioningly. "You knew about her?"

His eyebrows drew together slightly. "I saw her while I was reading Mai's location. She was absent when I went to visit them at their lab, but her accent is the same as her brother's."

"Her brother?"

"Charles Louen. They're both researchers from SPR."

"Louen…" Masako pondered for a minute, then her eyes widened in recognition. "We met him at the shooting," she murmured.

Naru looked at her sharply. "Why was he there?"

"He said he wanted to meet me. I assume it was because he's studying mediums, or so he claims."

The crease between Naru's eyebrows deepened. "Coincidence, or…?" He muttered, then lapsed back into silence.

Masako watched the slow, rhythmic rise and fall of Mai's chest as she breathed. She was unnaturally still; Masako was used to seeing her fall asleep in the most inopportune moments, arms draped inelegantly over a chair or pillowing her head in some dark corner as she occasionally muttered nonsense in her dreams. Gene's outline hung over her, matching her posture limb for limb, but the differences in their statures made the overlap just the tiniest bit mismatched.

"Naru," Masako said suddenly. "What would you do if something went wrong? If the possession was permanent, or…?" She didn't think she wanted to know the answer herself, but the uncertainty welling up in her chest was becoming unbearable, and she felt like she had to do _something_ with it.

He barely spared her a glance. "Impossible."

"There's no guarantee to anything when it comes to things like this," she argued, but he only scoffed quietly.

"I've yet to encounter a case I can't solve."

She managed a tiny smile at that. It was true. If it were Mai, she would probably say something like, 'At least his ego is good for something in times like these.' That was what she liked about him—and about her, too.

* * *

_Day 18, Evening_

Contrary to the doctor's prediction, Mai didn't wake even as evening rolled in, and they didn't want to risk moving her until she'd regained consciousness. Madoka brought in dinner for them, but it was hard to work up an appetite when one of your friends was lying in a hospital bed, hooked up to a tube just a door away.

"Eat," Madoka urged them. "It's no use if she wakes up and all of you topple over from exhaustion instead."

It was impossible to deny the truth in what she said, so all of the food was wearily devoured.

"Are there are any clues as to why she isn't waking up?" John asked.

Lin joined in on the conversation for the first time in a while. "Psychic shock," he said shortly. "Using too much energy in too little time, being possessed or cursed—things like that all disrupt the body's energy flow. Hers is unusually tangled."

"You're certain?" Madoka asked, and he gave a brief nod. "That's not too bad, then. The body can usually return to equilibrium on its own, given enough rest. Masako, you should probably arrange for another assistant this Sunday, though."

The medium shrugged. "It doesn't matter how many I have. They're all just props, anyways."

"Oh." Madoka blinked. "How… generous? I wish _I_ were loved to the point that people would make up positions just to have me work for them," she said with a light laugh.

"The position was already there beforehand. It just happened to be vacant," Naru said curtly.

She gave him an innocent look. "Oh? Did I say anything about you?"

"No, and neither did I."

It was still difficult to get in the mood for poking fun, though, so she left it at that and stood up. "Visiting hours are almost over. Masako, John, I suggest you get some sleep. I'll see if I can persuade them to let some of us stay overnight to keep an eye on her. Lin, Naru, you—"

"The location at which I sleep would hardly make a difference," he said, cutting her off, and she sighed.

"Well, I didn't think I'd be able to persuade you to leave, anyways. Lin—"

"Of course, I'm staying with Oliver," he said bluntly. She wrinkled her forehead in complaint.

"Can the two of you just let me finish my sentences? Yes, yes, fine, I get it. Both of you young people need your rest, though. No complaints," Madoka warned as John opened his mouth. Abashed, he closed it again, and Masako turned her head haughtily.

"Fine, I understand," she said with a huff.

"Good. Then, I guess that means I'll be leaving with you." As the only other qualified driver in the group, there was no other choice. "The two of you better be on your best behavior," she warned Lin and Naru. "Don't be mean. If she wakes up and your awful manners make her faint again from indignation, I won't let you off lightly. Remember, she's a recovering patient."

The warning was lost on the two of them. "I don't know what you're worried about," Naru told her irritably, and she gave up with a shrug.

* * *

**A/N:** Attention, all customers: we are currently experiencing technical difficulties with our Taniyama Mai. Please excuse us as we try turning it off and back on again. (We really should have bought the lifetime warranty.)

Aaand that's a wrap. As always, thanks for reading, and see you next chapter!


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N**: You probably know the drill by now.

[Brackets] is English.

All else Japanese.

* * *

_November 18, Late Night_

As it turned out, there was no point in worrying about Lin's manners anyways, since the man promptly fell asleep on the guest sofa in the room at ten o'clock on the dot. He was impeccable about being early to sleep, early to rise as much as the situation allowed it; in some ways, he was probably compensating for all the sleepless nights they had to spend on cases.

Naru's sleep schedule had never been stable to start with, so he didn't feel a thing as the hours ticked by. He found the small desk lamp in the corner perfectly convenient for reading, and it wasn't so bright as to disturb the rest of the other two in the room. When he had to bite back a yawn, though, he finally took notice of the time. Four in the morning—that was pushing it, even for him.

Just when he thought he might take a few hours' nap, the stirring of the patient on the hospital bed drove any thoughts of sleep out of his mind immediately. The room was just bright enough that he could see her eyes open and her confused expression. She lifted her head and looked around dimly, and recognition seemed to dawn on her face as she met his eyes.

"[Noll…?]" She murmured. She raised a hand to her forehead, and it looked like she was concentrating on something. "[What was it… Something important… I had to warn you…]"

It was true, then. It wasn't Mai.

"[Gene,]" he said evenly. "[What are you doing here?]"

She—He—looked up in surprise. "[…Gene? That's right… That's my name, isn't it? I think I'm starting to remember…]"

Had he lost his memory? It wasn't uncommon for spirits to be disoriented when they first possessed someone, or when they were first channeled.

"[Hang on, before you start scolding me, give me a moment to figure things out,]" Gene told him mildly, still squinting hazily at the hospital sheets, his hand pressed to his forehead. He closed his eyes for several minutes, then opened them again. "[Alright. Go ahead.]"

Naru exhaled in exasperation. "[Are you an _idiot?_ Why are you possessing Mai?]" It was near impossible to look at the person sitting in front of him and see his brother. Once, that had been all he could see when he looked at her, but genius though he was, he couldn't even remember what that felt like anymore.

"[Mai… I see. This is Mai,]" Gene murmured slowly, turning his hands over to inspect them. "[I have to admit, I'm a little glad this isn't my body. I thought I remembered having a bit more muscle.]"

He had to repress another sigh. He had forgotten how frustrating conversations with his brother could turn out. "[How much of your memory do you have? Are you aware that you're dead?]"

"[Noll,]" Gene complained, "[Don't open conversations with, 'You're dead.' It's rather off-putting.]" He paused to contemplate it. "[I suppose I had a feeling… I don't feel _alive_, exactly, at least. I can only remember a few things. You, Madoka, Lin… A little bit about Martin and Luella… These must be the common points in our memories. She knows an awful lot of embarrassing childhood stories about us,]" he commented unnecessarily.

Naru chose to ignore the last comment. "[So, why are you here?]" He demanded. "[Since you're causing so much trouble, it had better be for a good reason.]"

Gene tilted his—Mai's—head in thought. "[I can't remember well…]" He said slowly. "[The events after my death are all hazy. 'I have to warn you.' That's the only thing I can remember. It was the synchronizing point.]"

"[Synchronizing point?]" Naru frowned. "[She channeled you?]"

He rubbed his forehead and winced. "[Rather painfully, too. I don't think it was conscious. I think… Yes, it's starting to come back to me a little. I was possessing her to prevent the other spirits from doing so, since you can't be possessed by two at once. Then, our thoughts must have synchronized too strongly, and she pulled me in.]"

Naru made an irritated noise in the back of his throat. "[Honestly, the both of you are so…]"

"[Useless, I know,]" Gene said amiably. "[I'm sorry. I would give her body back if I could, but I don't know how.]"

He didn't say anything. Then, after a long silence, he asked, "[Is she… there right now?]"

"[Not exactly. She drifts in and out. Perhaps she's still recovering—she used up a lot of energy in the last two days.]"

"That idiot," he muttered under his breath.

Gene looked thoughtful for a minute. "[You know,]" he said idly, "[This probably isn't a good time to be thinking about this, but, you know, have you ever thought about those 'What would I do first if you suddenly woke up in a different body' sorts of things? No, of course you haven't, what am I even asking?]"

His brother scowled at him. "[If you're going to say something ridiculous, then stop while you're ahead.]"

"[Sorry,]" he apologized with a smile. "[That's not where I was going, though. I mean, it's strange, but maybe since I haven't had a body in so long—it doesn't feel that different. Or rather, perhaps it's because everything feels different. The size of my hands, or how far away the ground looks, or how much strength I have to exert to do things—it's all so unfamiliar. I would have thought that the change in… um… anatomical structures... would be one of the most disconcerting things, but it's actually rather minor in comparison.]"

"[You should write a dissertation on it,]" Naru told him, sarcasm dripping from every word.

Gene smiled briefly. "[Sorry,]" he said again. "[I keep forgetting that she's very important to you. I must have known, but the memories aren't there right now.]" He was quiet for a minute. "[You're very important to her, too, you know. I don't think she quite realizes how much herself yet, but it's the only reason the synchronization was so strong.]"

His twin looked away—from embarrassment, Gene knew. "That's not the issue at the moment," he said curtly, switching languages seamlessly.

"I wonder about that…" Gene murmured. "If it's the basis of synchronization, after all…"

"More importantly," Naru said in a flat voice, changing topics, "We'll have to decide what you'll do from here. Until we can stop the channeling, you might have to stay at the SPR office for a few days. It wouldn't be safe to let you live alone without your memories."

"There's an office here now? No, of course there is. Forget I asked that. It's yours, right?"

His twin snorted disdainfully.

"Right. Why don't I just stay with you? … Alright, forget I asked that, too," he amended at his brother's barely perceptible twitch. "We can talk about that later, though. You should get some sleep—you look something awful."

Naru frowned but didn't argue. In truth, exhaustion was wearing at him, too, and in his relief, all of his weariness seemed to come rushing at him all at once. Mai—or Gene—stretched widely and lay back down to rest, and Naru also sank into the other end of the sofa where Lin was sitting and closed his eyes.

* * *

_November 19__th__, Morning_

When he next opened his eyes, Madoka was already in the room, and she and Lin were exchanging whispers in a corner of the room. When she noticed him stand up, she gestured at him vigorously.

"Did she wake up last night?" She asked. "Lin says you had a conversation last night."

Naru glanced at the assistant accusingly; he hadn't shown any signs of being awake. Though, judging by Madoka's question, he hadn't heard the contents of their talk.

"He woke up," he corrected. "It seems like she's channeling Gene somehow."

Madoka's mouth dropped open. "Are you serious? How is that possible? No channeling should last this long, and even if she is, John's exorcism still should have worked."

"If I knew the details, this conversation would be unnecessary," he shot back irritably.

At the sound of their voices, Mai—Gene—opened his eyes drowsily and pushed himself upright. When he saw Madoka, a warm smile appeared on his face. "[Madoka, I haven't seen you in a while… Is what I'd say, but I'm afraid I don't remember much.]"

Madoka's mouth dropped open even wider. "Oliver, she's speaking English. No, he's speaking English. O–Oliver… Gene…? [Is that really… you…?]" Even Lin looked astonished, and he blinked rapidly as if he couldn't quite believe his eyes.

Gene forced a smile. "[Well, even if you ask, I can't even be quite sure myself. However, that does seem to be the case.]"

"I can't believe it. [I can't believe it,]" she echoed, falling back against the wall. "What's going on? [This is a complete anomaly.] Is it because of Gene's abilities? Or Mai's? Both? [Gene, do you know anything?]"

He shook his head regretfully. "[I'm afraid I've lost most of my memories. Even if I knew—which I doubt—I can't remember anything.]"

"[Lost your memories… of course…]" Madoka mumbled, eyes still wide. She shook her head to clear away her daze and stood up straight again. "No, for now, it's good that you're awake. We can figure this out once we get back." She hesitated. "Should we… tell Martin?"

"No," Naru said flatly. "It won't do him any good."

"Don't I get a say in this?" Gene asked mildly. "I do agree, though. I barely remember him at the moment. Even if I saw him, nothing good could come out of it."

"Really, the two of you," Madoka began heatedly. "Can't you understand a parent's de—"

"What's all the racket? Can't we come in yet?" Masako interrupted impatiently from outside, opening the door, with John in tow behind her. She looked at Mai sitting upright, then turned accusingly to Madoka. "She's awake already. You forgot about us."

Madoka paused in the middle of her tirade and looked guilty. "Sorry," she admitted. "I lost myself for a moment there—it's… She—no, he's _Gene._"

This time, it was Masako and John's turn to be stunned into silence. They both stared at Gene, mouths agape.

"I suppose this is something like how celebrities feel," Gene murmured with a faint smile. "Pleased to meet you. Unfortunately, I don't remember you, but…"

"I-I am Hara Masako," Masako stammered, still dazed.

"John Brown," John offered quietly with a smile of his own. "A pleasure."

Masako finally snapped out of her daze and squinted closely at Gene. She looked at Madoka. "He's so _lucid,_" she said in astonishment. "It's like he's alive. Are you sure…?"

Madoka looked to Gene helplessly. "It's what Naru says. Perhaps it shouldn't be that much of a surprise—from what Mai described, he was always incredibly lucid for a spirit. Most spirits only have a fragment of their personalities, but he had both his emotions and clarity of judgment."

"Thank you for the compliment," Gene said with a smile. "I'm glad to know I wasn't too much trouble as a ghost."

"No… The pleasure is mine…" It seemed like speaking directly to him was still too much of a shock for the researcher, though.

"John, try driving him out one more time," Naru ordered as he folded his arms, and John looked at him in surprise.

"Are you sure? I mean…"

"Go ahead," Gene encouraged. "I would like to return this body quickly if I can, and besides, I am curious as to how it feels to be expelled."

The exorcist blinked, but relented at that. The entire room held its breath as he performed the ritual once more. The prayer and the motions were all commonplace for them by now—it was Gene that they watched with bated breath, but his expression didn't change throughout the entire thing. Finally, John lowered his book and looked up at Gene.

"I don't feel any different," the ghost admitted. "I didn't feel anything at all."

"I suppose it won't be that easy," Naru said with distaste.

"How strange…" John muttered, dumbfounded. "Again… there was no reaction. Not even a little resistance."

"Is that usual for channeled spirits?" Madoka inquired, and the exorcist shook his head.

"Usually, as long as there's a spirit at all, there should be some reaction. The body naturally rejects other souls—sort of like an immune response against foreign cells, it pushes away spirits that don't belong to itself. Driving out spirits with exorcism relies on amplifying that rejection. If there's no rejection at all, there's nothing I can do."

"So, the body is treating my spirit as if it were its own," Gene mused. "Close to one hundred percent synchronization. A textbook 'perfect channeling…' Noll, you might have enough material to publish something soon."

Naru looked away in irritation and unfolded his arms. "More importantly, we should head back. One of the others might have an idea of how to fix this, or at least, we'll be able to access more information."

Madoka nodded in agreement. "We can take the train this time, since there's no rush. Then, I guess Gene will be staying with you for now after we get back, Oliver?"

Naru looked at her in disbelief and opened his mouth to protest, but Masako beat him to it."You can't be serious," she said.

"It's the most natural option," Madoka pointed out. "They are siblings, and he's the only one that Gene has a relatively complete memory of right now. We couldn't have him stay with a stranger, and we definitely couldn't have him stay alone. You can't even read or write, can you?" She asked, turning to Gene.

"You don't have to put it so bluntly," he said with embarrassed laugh. "But, no, not in Japanese."

"You can't read Japanese?" Masako echoed dumbly. "But, you're in Mai's body. Language should be filtered through her cognitive processes first. Don't tell me she…"

"Oh, no, she's perfectly literate," he said hastily.

"Debatable," Naru commented under his breath.

Gene gave his brother a disapproving look and cleared his throat. "It looks like there are all sorts of circumstances here… At any rate, there's no need to argue over it. I would be fine staying at the office."

"Nonsense," Madoka told him. "How could we be so heartless as to have you live there? And you… Mai is still injured, too. Right, Oliver?"

He exhaled, but he didn't have any ground left to stand on anymore. "Fine," he said shortly.

* * *

_November 19, Afternoon_

The train rolled quietly through the countryside, passing verdant hillsides and thick, sprawling forests. Masako's eyes were fixed on the window, but none of the lovely scenery registered in her mind. Her lips were pressed taut in a thin line, and a pale flush heated her normally porcelain cheeks.

"Was it that much of a shock?" Madoka asked quietly from beside her. The others were seated much farther, well out of earshot.

Masako turned her head stiffly, feigning ignorance. "I don't know what you mean."

The corner of Madoka's lips pulled upwards in a wry smile. "I do understand how you feel, I think. It was a bittersweet day when I realized my own students were getting better at gathering data than I was."

The medium's chin jerked upwards. "Just because she can channel one spirit, that doesn't necessarily make her better." Even before the words were out of her mouth, though, she winced. She hated how bitter she sounded, and they left a foul aftertaste in her mouth.

"That's the spirit," Madoka encouraged, not a trace of hostility in her voice. Surely, Madoka was mocking her too, though.

How laughable. Her pride as a medium was the one thing she'd always counted on, yet now even that had been dashed to pieces. If it had been anyone else, perhaps she could have accepted it, but…

However, Madoka simply continued speaking as if she hadn't noticed the tension in the shoulders of the young girl next to her. "Truth be told, a number of near-miraculous factors aligned in this case. Not only did Mai and Gene have similar personalities and backgrounds to start with, they also shared a strong psychic and emotional bond, and their synchronization point was the exact same thought. Gene is also unusual for a spirit, and he was a medium himself when he was alive. You shouldn't compare yourself to her because of this one instance."

Masako lowered her head. Her fingers curled into fists inside her long sleeves. "She doesn't even need to be awake to channel."

"Are you talking about the type of medium she is?" Madoka tilted her head. "A rather less-seen non-interpretive… Still, there are always cost-benefit tradeoffs between different types; it doesn't mean one is naturally superior to the other. Besides, even though her case is the closest to it we've come so far, there's no such thing as actual 'perfect' channeling. It's merely an ideal, or a model, like an ideal gas, or a perfect crystal—it simply doesn't exist in reality."

Madoka's bare logic and soothing tone were like a cold compress for the bitterness inside of her. She uncurled her fingers and stared at one of the spiraling flower patterns on her sleeve. "I know I'm being unreasonable. I hate it. I don't want to be like this. It's so ugly."

"Hmm… It's not like you can help it. It's because you have a lot of pride, and that's a good thing, right? I think it's admirable that you still hold yourself high—after all, you don't mean to cut connections with her because of this, do you?"

"No," Masako admitted. "I hate her for it, but she's—irreplaceable."

"Then that's fine, isn't it?" Madoka laughed lightly. "Besides, you're also cute when you're jealous—that's what Mai would be thinking, right?"

"Flattery doesn't work on me," Masako said, her nose in the air, but a soft smile graced her lips. "Thank you, for not laughing at me."

"There's nothing to laugh at. I told you that I know how you feel, didn't I? When Oliver started getting more comprehensive results than I ever did, I cried myself sick and threw tantrums for days. Lin can tell you all about it. It can't be helped; I just have no talent with technology. But," she added slyly, "That's still the only thing he can beat me at."

Even Masako had to giggle at that. "Where are they, anyways?" She finally realized that the others were nowhere to be seen.

"It seems like they went to quieter car to try and decode that journal that Mai snatched from Louen's place. It looks like it's quite the headache."

"That's right, the Louen siblings are medium researchers, aren't they?" Masako remembered. "Do you think they would know how to undo this?"

"Perhaps, but I'm worried since going there was what got Mai into this mess in the first place. It's impossible to rule out that they might have hostile motives. We can only hope that whatever is in that journal gives us a clue. Do you want to go see how they're doing?"

Masako nodded and stood up, following Madoka down to the end of the train. The last carriage only had a few people in it, and Mai, John, and Naru were leaning their heads together to peer at the journal in Mai's lap with frustrated looks on their faces.

"Any progress?" Madoka asked cheerfully, eliciting a weak laugh from John.

"There's been some…" he murmured. "It seems like parts of the journal are a fairly simple substitution cipher. She switched each letter for another letter a fixed interval away. The specific interval changes a few times throughout, but that part isn't too difficult to figure out."

"So what's the problem, then?"

"Only the unimportant parts are written like that," Gene admitted. "Names, locations, control variables, a few quick observations. The key parts—the actual results of the experiments—are encoded in three-part number sequences. We think they match up to page, line, and word numbers in a book, but we don't know which book."

"I see," Madoka heaved a sigh. "You said experiments—that's what the journal is after all, then?"

"It looks like it. From what we can figure out, they were conducting tests on the approximate synchronization rates of different mediums under different conditions. I can't imagine why they needed to use such a difficult cipher to record their observations, though."

"Perhaps they didn't want anyone to steal their research?" John suggested.

"I suppose. It's hardly nuclear physics, though—there isn't that much profit you could gain from stealing this sort of thing," Madoka noted. "I guess we won't know until we decode the rest of it, though."

"That's true. Yasuhara might have more knowledge of ciphers. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if his true identity was an international spy," John commented with a smile.

"Yasuhara, huh… He does seem a pretty capable fellow," Gene mused, tapping his cheek thoughtfully.

"Gene!" Madoka looked at him in horror. "Are you going through her _memories_?"

"No, absolutely not," he answered quickly with an equal look of horror. "It's just that our shared memories have been coming back to me. They're mostly from cases, though… and they are from her perspective," he admitted. "Did you know Noll once gallantly shielded her from falling debris with his own body?"

"Gene!" Naru snapped, and Gene tilted his head innocently.

"What is it? I think you like to keep quiet a little too much. Look, even this time, you rushed all the way over here and she won't even see it for herself, right? That's no fair at all."

"What I choose to say or not to say is my own business."

"Right," Gene agreed. "And what _I_ choose to say is mine. I'm glad we're in concurrence."

_(But, really, Noll, I am worried. I'll always be able to sense firsthand how you feel, since we're connected, but no one else can do that, you know?)_

_(Don't state the obvious.)_

_(I'm just mentioning it.)_

Naru exhaled deeply.

_(And just how long have you been waiting to 'just mention' that our link is still open?)_

"I just found out," Gene told him aloud with a yawn. "I suppose telepathy isn't a somatic trait, then, if it can be transferred between bodies."

"You're tired now. You shouldn't have done that," Naru accused.

"I was already tired. I guess using another body takes more energy than it looks."

"Don't worry about it and go to sleep," Madoka reassured him. "We still have a bit of ways to go."

Gene nodded, biting back another yawn. "Then, goodnight…"

* * *

_November 19, Evening_

It took a few minutes to convince Takigawa and Ayako, who were already waiting for them at the SPR office, that the unconscious girl they'd brought back was, first of all, possessed, and second of all, only sleeping. The latter was a little more difficult to accomplish since no matter how much they called her or shook her, she slept like a log.

"She was up earlier," Madoka assured the two worried spiritualists, and John nodded to affirm her statement. "I guess hosting two different souls uses up a lot of energy—you see a lot of possessed people who are chronically fatigued, and Gene is attached to her more closely than most spirits do."

The worry didn't lift from Takigawa's face, but he accepted her explanation with a reluctant scratch of his head. "If it's just that, that's fine, but… I can't do anything. As I'm sure you've witnessed, exorcising people isn't my area of specialty."

"Neither can I," Ayako echoed unwillingly. "My purification only works on spirits that need to be cleansed, and I can't feel anything unclean from her. And besides, if it's just a single exorcism, there's no way I could drive out something that John couldn't."

"Come to think of it, your only redeeming feature is 'quantity over quality,' isn't it?" Masako remarked with a disdainful sniff.

"Hey, if you've got a problem with it, let's see you do something about it," Ayako snapped back.

Naru glanced at Mai, who'd been left resting on the sofa as she slept. "As expected, it looks like exorcism won't work. For the time being, our only options are to continue researching, and to work on decoding on the journal. Lin, there's also a temporary measure we can take, correct?"

Lin gave a short nod. "We can try to bring Taniyama's consciousness back to the front, but it'll take a few days to prepare everything. Also, even if her consciousness is in control, until the channeling can be ended for good, she'll still be under various effects of possession."

"It's good enough for a short-term fix."

"Hey, is this really alright?" Ayako folded her arms with a slight frown. "Weren't you worried about attracting the attention of the Special Unit? Even if she's Gene inside, it'll still be conspicuous if she's living with you."

"It's too late anyways, since she went on that case with Hirota," Naru said flatly. "Anyways, it's a bit early still, but the material we have should be enough to prevent them from pulling anything hasty."

"The 'material'? Is that this mysterious secret project you called Professor Davis over for?" Takigawa asked curiously. "Yasuhara wouldn't stop complaining about how Mori-san wouldn't tell him about it the other day."

"It's not a secret. It's a comprehensive list that could potentially uncover every bribe, diversion of funds, misuse of authority, and every other illegal and barely-legal dealing the Special Unit has undertaken in the past five years," Naru answered, as blandly as if he were speaking of nothing more than last night's dinner.

Naturally, his casual statement was met with only stunned silence. Ayako had to take a step back and sank into the sofa near where Mai was sprawled.

"How on earth did you get such classified information?" She demanded, halfway between awe and disbelief.

"It was simple enough to find where the mismatches in their financial records were. Martin obtained access to them from a contact."

"'Simple,' you say…" Takigawa shook his head with a low chuckle. "This is bona fide blackmail. If all of the top brass is implicated… and the division doesn't have a great reputation to start with. You could effectively bury the entire division."

Naru shrugged, unimpressed. "More importantly, Takigawa, what kind of books would you use as the basis for a cipher?"

"A cipher, huh…" The monk rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Since she didn't write the title, she must have been confident that she wouldn't forget which book she used, so it would probably be something memorable for her."

"That doesn't narrow it down much," Ayako pointed it out. "Who knows which picture book her daddy used to read to her at nighttime or whatever it is, is?"

Something about Ayako's words seemed to light a bulb, though. Naru turned abruptly to Madoka. "Madoka, the Louens' father. Who did you say he was?"

"Their father? Let me think… El… Albert… Alfred, I think? Alfred Louen. A famous medium, supposedly."

Takigawa snapped his fingers at the mention. "That guy, didn't he write a bunch of autobiographies or something?"

"Records of his experiences as a medium." Naru seemed deep in thought. "The book she chose would have to include the right terminology to properly record the results of her experiments. A book about mediums and channeling would give her a sufficient pool to choose from."

"It seems like a likely option, then. Ayako and I can start deciphering the journal while you and the others keep on researching things." A murmur of consent spread through the room at Takigawa's suggestion, and palpable relief hung in the air at having a course of action to proceed on.

"Then, it looks like that's settled for now."

* * *

_November 19, Late Evening_

Mai woke up slowly. Or at least, she thought she did, but the "waking up" didn't come with any of the actions she normally associated with waking up. She didn't have any eyelids to open, nor did she have the sensation of gradually becoming aware of her body. Come to think of it, did she even have a body?

At first, she thought it was one of _those_ dreams. Her consciousness was floating somewhere above the room, and she could see her own body sitting on a sofa in the room, reading. If it were a dream, though, her body would have been sleeping, and unlike in a dream, where she could usually see the entire building at once, the only things visible to her were what her physical eyes could see. Actually, now that she thought about it, how could she be reading when she was here? And since when could she read such difficult books in English?

"Mai, you're awake," her own body said aloud to her. Her voice sounded different from a third-person perspective, and she was positive she didn't usually smile that prettily.

_(Gene… right?)_ She tried to remember what had happened. The memories up to escaping into the woods were hazy, but they were there. After that, she couldn't recall a thing, though. _(Are you… possessing me?)_

"Why does everyone ask me that first?" He complained good-naturedly. "Did I seem that unreliable as a spirit? Although, it's true that I did."

_(Sorry. You were doing it to keep the other spirits away, right? I thought I felt you earlier, at Masako's shooting, too…)_

"She's awake?" A sharp voice came from outside her field of vision, though it was impossible to mistake who the voice belonged to. Gene turned his line of sight to Naru, who was sitting at a desk with a pile of papers nearby and a different book in hand. She had never seen that desk before, or that sofa, for that matter, or this entire room.

"Yes, it looks like she's recovered somewhat," Gene answered with a reassuring smile. "Would you like to speak with her?"

_(Gene… Where is this…?)_

"You've never been here before? It's Noll's apartment."

_(What?!)_ She hadn't imagined that disembodied consciousnesses would be able to feel dizzy, but that was certainly the only way to describe how she felt.

"Gene—"

"Hang on," Gene interrupted before Naru could finish his sentence. "Carrying on two conversations at the same time is too much for me, especially if _both_ of you are planning to overreact to every little thing. I'm going to open the line."

She realized what he was planning too late. _(No, don't—)_

Before she could protest, though, a vibrant burst of sparks seared a part of her consciousness—the part that was connected to Gene, she realized. It felt like lighting a match against her skin, but the sensation wasn't painful at all. The sparks seemed to form dense, tangled golden threads between that part of her consciousness and something else. Naru, she supposed. The golden threads weren't visible, but she was sure they were there.

"Is that how it looks to you?" Gene commented thoughtfully. "How lovely. You have a better imagination than we do."

_(What do they look like to you?)_

Gene looked at his brother wryly. "A telephone cable," he answered, then turned to his brother. "Her line is a little one-sided, but at least you can hear her when she speaks now, right? Go on, tell her what you have to say."

Naru only sighed and shrugged.

_(That's right, that woman—you have to be careful. It sounds like she's planning to do something with you, or Gene, or…)_

"Don't worry," Gene soothed. "I told him what I remember of it already. And since my spirit is here, there's nothing anyone can do to it right now."

_(Oh.) _Her disembodied consciousness nodded, though she wasn't sure if that would be conveyed through telepathy.

"More importantly," Gene said amiably, "He has a whole lot to say to you about the last few days—"

"Gene!" Naru snapped, visible agitation on his face.

_(I'm sorry.) _She said guiltily. _(I didn't mean to cause trouble. I don't regret it, though.)_ She added firmly. _(I can't say for certain that nothing would have happened to Hirota and Suzuko if I hadn't been there, and I wouldn't have found out what that woman was planning.)_

Naru sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "It would be too much to hope for to ask you not to behave recklessly." He was quiet for a minute, the beginnings of a crease forming between his eyebrows. "Why didn't you tell anyone?"

_(Tell anyone what?)_

"What do you mean, 'what?' That you were going, of course."

She blinked, perplexed at the edge in his voice. _(It was only going to be for a few days. I didn't think it would turn out this badly.)_

"It's common sense to let people know when you leave for a few days, isn't it?" Despite what she'd said, the irritation didn't leave his voice. What on earth was he blaming her for?

_(What kind of common sense is that? Like I said, I'm sorry for making trouble, but there's no way I could have foreseen what would happen, could I?)_

"Noll…" Gene murmured in warning, but neither of them paid him much attention.

"Regardless of whether or not something would happen, you have an obligation to contact your current employer before you start arbitrarily taking on other work that could impact your performance there. Since you were working for Hara-san, at least informing her—"

_('Obligation'? There's no such thing! Whatever else I do is none of my employers' business, and it wouldn't have affected my job there if not for emergency circumstances. Besides, you're the last person I want to hear about work obligations from! I admit that I should have been more careful not to impose on you, but I don't want to be lectured when I didn't do anything wrong.)_

"Mai…" Gene's attempts at arbitration all but fell on deaf ears, though.

"You should have at least considered the inconvenience of contacting you if it became necessary," he snapped.

_(Well, _my apologies_, Your Highness, for causing you _inconvenience_. That's simply _unforgivable, _isn't it?) _Sarcasm dripped like venom from her thoughts. _(I don't see why I have to sit here and take this. I'm tired, and I don't feel well. Good-bye.)_

She knew she was acting like a petulant child, but somehow, it was hard to care at the moment. It was true that the conversation had sapped most of what little strength she'd recovered, though, and she didn't resist as the gentle darkness of sleep carried her away.

Gene felt Mai slip back into unconsciousness and sighed, glancing at his brother, who had stiffly gone back to reading with an unrepentant look on his face.

"That could have gone better," he murmured. "Noll, I don't know how I missed this when I was alive, but… you're a little bit terrible at expressing yourself, aren't you? Worse than I thought, I mean."

He didn't reply.

"I think the general idea of what you were trying to say is, 'We were concerned about you. Please depend on us a little more. A few days might not seem like a long time, but I was worried sick.'"

"Things like 'worry' and 'concern' alone don't have any effect on reality."

"Your feelings are reality," Gene pointed out. "And so are hers. And, they would make a difference to her. You know that already."

* * *

**A/N**: Communication Issues strikes again. (Communication Issues is the actual real antagonist of this story, tbh.)

I feel like there are a few things that unite the GH fandom as a whole, and not least among them is a vindictive (though loving) desire, born of frustration, to see Naru finally get what's coming to him for being such a _stubborn ass._

Buuut Naru's language skills notwithstanding, thanks for reading as always, and for all your lovely feedback!


	12. Chapter 12

_November 21, Afternoon_

"So… his brother's spirit is in Mai's body while she's living with him. If I didn't know better, I'd say someone is trying their best to make life as difficult for him as possible," Takigawa remarked dryly. "I can't even imagine how he must feel."

"It's Naru, after all," John pointed out. "Probably something like, 'How can I get the most research material out of this?'"

Ayako snorted. "That's true. I wonder how long it'll take before he tries to convince her to get a vivisection done."

It was meant to be a joke, but uncomfortable silence filled the room. John was the first one to speak.

"He wouldn't really… would he?"

"No way," Takigawa asserted with a shake of his head. "Even if he is a complete mad scientist, there's no way he'd go that far. Even if it might lead to incredible, ground-breaking results. At least, I think… Probably… right?" He looked much less certain at the end than he had when he'd started.

"How bad _is_ his credibility, anyways?" Madoka's voice could be heard as she entered from the kitchenette, a tray of steaming teacups in hand. Evidently, she'd overheard. "Even Naru has standards. I'm sure he would at least wait until she's dead to request an autopsy."

"How… reassuring." Takigawa's smile was a little strained, though.

"Don't worry too much about it. How's your decoding going?"

The monk let out a heavy sigh. "We've gotten about a third of the way in. It's incredible—Alfred Louen wrote five books in total, and she constantly varies between books one through four for her cipher, so we have to retry everything when that happens."

"What incredible security," Madoka remarked. "Is there any sign of why she's so cautious about it?"

Ayako shook her head. "The experiments are thorough and well-done, but hardly ground-breaking. It looks like she's mostly testing for factors that increase the synchronization between spirit and medium—personality, background, state of mind during channeling, and so forth. If there's anything notable about the whole thing, it would be in Louen's autobiographies, not the journal. The man was insane."

"Literally or figuratively?"

"Honestly, I'm not sure," Takigawa chuckled. "What's certain is that he's _brilliant_, though. The depth, the duration, the versatility of his channeling… It takes the sort of experience he has to manage all of that, and he's always analyzing his work with a critical eye, trying to see how he can improve. You don't see a lot of that sort of thing with psychics—there's always this mentality that our sorts of talents are what we're born with, and little else, after all." He sighed. "If he were here right now, no doubt he could come up with a solution in a snap."

"Hmm. I'm guessing that means you haven't found anything that could help fix what's going on with Mai?"

Takigawa shook his head regretfully. "Nothing so far. What we've found is what we could have told you already—exorcise the spirit, have the medium drive the spirit out themselves, or break the point of synchronization."

"Exorcism already failed," Madoka recalled. "Mai doesn't have the training to drive Eugene out herself, and the point of synchronization was the warning—that should have already been delivered, so there's no reason it should keep tying them together."

"So, we really are at a dead end, after all," Takigawa said glumly.

"Don't give up yet. There's still plenty of the journal left to go through," John encouraged. "It would follow that more useful results would be near the end, right?"

"Hopefully," the monk agreed. "How are things on your end, Lin?" He called toward the closed door a few feet away from them.

Silence.

Madoka opened the door to the materials room gingerly, revealing an exhausted-looking assistant, pillowing his head in his arm on the desk, asleep. Beside him were various candles and disks of water and other such implements, as well as two labeled _hitogata_, placed one on top of the other and tied together with a string.

Careful not to make a sound, Madoka closed the door and turned to the others, a finger to her lips. "It looks like it's done," she said softly. "Now we just wait for Mai to wake up."

* * *

_November 21, Evening_

Though she had occasionally drifted into semi-consciousness over the past two days, waking up had been nothing more than entering a half-dream state, slowly letting the events flowing around her settle into the boundaries of her awareness only to escape just as quickly as if through a sieve. Thinking had been difficult, like reaching through sand. Even though it had been her own body that she'd glimpsed, it had been difficult to think of the person with such different mannerisms as anyone other than Gene. Sometimes, she wondered where the person known as "Taniyama Mai" had gone.

For the first time in what seemed like eternity, though, she felt the physical sensation of waking up. Her first thought was that she was _heavy._ She was encased in a tomb of dense bone, layers of muscle, a shroud of skin, and hazy fog weighed on her mind like sleep. Her second thought was that it hurt. She could still feel the dull ache of her sprained ankle, and the numerous scrapes that burned with a quiet fire. When she accidentally bumped her elbow against the edge of the sofa's armrest, she winced as a large bruise made its presence known.

Slowly, other sensations came back to her as well. The soothing aroma of fresh tea wafted towards her, as well as the sound of murmured conversation. Indistinct blurs of color and light slowly formed familiar faces. She swallowed, her parched throat chafing uncomfortably.

"She's waking up!" Sounds arranged themselves into words against her ears, though it took some effort to remember what the words meant, individually and together. It took even more effort to remember how to string together words of her own.

"I'm awake," Mai croaked, forcing herself upright. The room, as well as the faces around her, though anxious, were comforting in their familiarity. Madoka, Takigawa, Ayako, John, Masako, Lin… even Yasuhara and Taka were there. One person was noticeably absent.

"Shh, don't force yourself." Ayako patted her on the head soothingly. "Take it slow. You've been out of body for more than two days. You're going to get some backlash."

Almost as soon as she said it, a wave of nausea hit her stomach, and Mai glued her hand to her mouth, forcing the bile back down her throat. She lay back down, and the dizziness receded somewhat, along with the urge to throw up.

"Naru… isn't here?"

"What, I'm not good enough?" Ayako teased, brushing a few loose strands of hair, damp from perspiration, out of Mai's face.

"There's no such thing." She closed her eyes and took in deep breaths. Clarity slowly filled her along with the intake of oxygen. "I'm sorry. I caused you all a lot of trouble."

"Don't worry about it," John said kindly. "We understand why you did it."

Takigawa exhaled impatiently. "Though, really, why didn't you tell anyone you were leaving?"

"Sorry," she said again. "I really couldn't have imagined that something like that would happen, though…"

"That has nothing to do with it," he reprimanded. "Regardless of whether something might happen, didn't you think we'd be worried if you disappeared for a few days without telling anyone?"

She looked up, startled. "I guess it slipped my mind…"

"'Slipped your mind'?" He repeated incredulously, though the blank look on her face—and a warning glare from Ayako—reminded him exhale slowly and continue in a more level voice. "Look, I can't say I understand how it feels firsthand, but I know you've lived alone for a long time, and maybe you're still not used to being worried over. Still, aren't we something like family now? At least think of us a little before you run off on your own next time."

"I will," She promised, then hesitated. "Is… Is it really alright?" Cautiously, she lifted herself up again, propping herself against the back of the sofa. "To consider us family, I mean. I thought it was just wishful thinking on my part, but…"

"What are you talking about? Didn't I tell you a long time ago that you could marry me if life ever got too hard for you?" Takigawa said with a laugh, and Mai couldn't help a snort of her own.

"Don't take advantage of innocent kids," Ayako said sharply, jabbing the monk in the side with her elbow and eliciting a wince. When she was satisfied with the damage she'd inflicted, she patted the high schooler on the forehead reassuringly. "It doesn't suit you to dwell on such complicated things," she informed her. "Just be a carefree idiot like always."

She nodded dumbly as Madoka sat down beside her and put an arm around her shoulder. "Really, if you still aren't convinced, why don't you come live with me for a while?" She asked with a warm smile. "After all, we still can't let you live alone until your predicament is fixed."

"No, there's no need! Really, I—"

"Mai," the researcher said firmly, "It's either that, or take Lin with you as a bodyguard everywhere you go."

With an anxious glance in the direction of the closed door of the materials room, she surrendered, bowing her head meekly. "… Please take care of me."

"Perfect. Then, we can stop by your place later to pick up anything you need and go straight to my apartment. I have an extra bedroom that I'm not using, anyways."

"Yes… Um, is it really alright? Won't I be a bother?"

"I'm the one who's asking you," Madoka pointed out. "Actually, I've always wanted to have a younger sister, and anyways, my apartment feels a little too empty sometimes, living alone."

"I see… If it's really fine, then… Thank you." An embarrassed smile crept across her face, and she quickly lowered her head again.

* * *

_November 22, Afternoon_

The move to Madoka's apartment had been a simple one—she hadn't brought anything other than her textbooks and a few changes of clothes. Despite having gone to bed as early as eight, though, she still felt heavy as a log when she woke up the next morning. Nonetheless, she somehow managed to convince Madoka to let her go to school alone, at least.

Getting to school hadn't been much of a problem, but as it turned out, staying awake in class had become an even greater challenge than it usually was. Morning lessons had gone in one ear and out the other, and not even lunch could replenish her energy. She couldn't even properly focus on her friends' conversations, and after they were done anxiously interrogating her about her latest absence, she simply let their soothing chatter wash around her.

By the time late afternoon rolled around, she was absolutely spent. She decided that there was no point in trying to stay awake for a lesson she wouldn't even be able to pay attention to, and there was still getting back to Madoka's to worry about. Sleep—which seemed to have an unhealthy obsession with her recently—claimed her easily, and she let the teacher's monotonous voice carry her into unconsciousness.

Time barely seemed to pass, but when she slowly became aware of her surroundings again, the classroom was already dim and mostly empty. Surprisingly, she could still hear lively conversation coming from the doorway. She lifted her head groggily and found a group of her classmates standing there, speaking animatedly to each other in low voices. What time was it?

With a sigh, she forced herself to get up and hauled her schoolbag onto her shoulder, making her way to the entrance. She turned the corner wearily to see what they were talking so excitedly about—and froze.

For whatever reason, Naru was waiting outside in the hall, his arms folded as he leaned against the wall, all but ignoring everyone and everything around him. She ducked back into the classroom before he could notice her, but it was already too late.

"Mai," he called in his usual flat voice, and she could hear soft footsteps approaching.

Oh, no, she thought in a panic. She still hadn't figured out what to say to him yet. She supposed she should start by apologizing—for snapping childishly, for one, and also for causing him trouble, and for whatever else she must have done wrong to get him to come all the way to her school to see her. It felt like she was doing a lot of things wrong lately; life had been a lot easier when the only things out to get her were already dead.

"Mai, stop wasting time," he said irritably, appearing at the door. She could hear the death knells ringing. Farewell, cruel world—life had been sweet while it'd lasted.

"What are you doing here?" She managed gloomily.

"Waiting for you," he told her, as if it should be obvious. Which, she supposed, it was.

"I can see that. I mean, why?"

He sighed impatiently. "Because I figured you would be asleep. And I was right."

"I see… Or rather—Naru, don't you realize you attract a lot of attention?" She could feel prickling stares and heated whispers from behind, directed straight at her.

"So?" How heartless.

"So… Never mind, come this way, quickly," she told him, urging him down a much less traveled hallway that detoured around the school. Despite her sprain, she didn't slow her pace until they were well out of sight of her classmates and any other curious eyes. "How long have you been there? Why didn't you wake me? Why didn't anyone else wake me? No, first of all, how did they even let you inside the school?"

"I told them I was your supervisor, and I was here to check on your condition that you ended up in due to a work-related accident."

"My condition…?" Surely he hadn't told the principal that she was possessed by a ghost? Then again, considering that their school principal had hired a grand total of four spiritualists plus Naru to exorcise a building once, he might have actually believed it.

"Secondary hypersomnia due to head trauma," Naru answered matter-of-factly.

"Secondary…?"

"Excessive daytime sleepiness that arises secondary to a separate disorder or condition. It's close enough to what you have."

"Oh." That explained why her teachers had been forgiving enough to let her sleep through class, at least. She fell quiet as she navigated her way through the nearly-empty buildings, trying her best to tune out the stares and whispers at the school gate. All of her exhaustion had evaporated, but in its place, her nerves were strung taut, ready to snap at any second.

Naru didn't offer much in the way of conversation as they headed for the station, either. Was he still angry? He didn't show any signs of parting ways even at the ticket gate or at the platforms, though, so evidently, he intended to follow her all the way back to Madoka's apartment. Few students at her school lived in that area, and the train was nearly empty on their way back. The silence seemed to physically burn in her throat, as if urging her to speak. One station passed, then two. Finally, unable to stand the pressure any longer, she opened her mouth.

"I apologize."

Naru spoke before she even had a chance to steel her resolve. What few coherent thoughts she'd managed to piece together scattered into the wind with as much permanence as a wisp of drifting fog.

"I was informed," he continued with a hint of dry humor in his voice, "that I am not the best at putting my intentions into words." He paused. "I didn't mean to castigate you. I understand that you did not possess any impetus to contact us, for good reason. I just meant that next time…"

"…You did it again," she mumbled.

A perplexed look appeared on his face. "Did what?"

"Beat me to it. I was going to apologize."

A soft exhalation escaped his lips. Had that been a _laugh_?

"I'm sorry. I dragged Gene into this mess because I didn't think things through. Even though he means so much to you…"

She had known, of course, that Gene was important to him in the vague way she knew that war was horrible and that the Arctic circle was cold. She was no stranger to love and loss, but those were all hazy memories from years ago belonging to a child who wasn't yet mature enough to truly appreciate the existence of others. If she hadn't felt Naru's single-minded affection for his brother through their telepathic connection, she might never have been able to imagine such a feeling existed in her entire lifetime.

It didn't show so much on the surface, but Naru was serious about his devotion the same way he was serious about anything—quietly, steadily, unwaveringly. Gene didn't just mean the world to him, he _was_ the world to him. And yet she'd tied him here because of what couldn't be called much more than a reckless blunder. She knew that Gene truly didn't mind—she could sense his peace with the situation, along with all sorts of other vivid emotions. Curiosity, amusement, excitement, satisfaction. The fact that he wasn't upset only made her feel guiltier, though. At least, if he'd been angry, she could have apologized and tried to make it up to him, but the best she could do as matters stood was to scrape together feeble apologies.

"You're worrying about pointless things again. Mai, you…" He seemed to hesitate for a few moments, then sighed and turned his face in the direction of the window. "Don't overthink it. Gene's actions are his alone. Both of you are idiots, but don't go mixing up his stupidity with your own."

"Masako even warned me earlier, though. If I had listened to her… If I had thought more about what might happen…"

"Mai," he said flatly, "Even if you had known, your abilities aren't developed enough that you could have made a difference in that situation."

She almost smiled at that. It was such a familiarly cold response, but it cut through the heart of her jumbled thoughts and anxiety. "Sorry. I guess I'm whining."

Naru shrugged. "It's better than…" However, instead of finishing his sentence, he only trailed off and averted his eyes. "Project MT-02."

"Huh?" She blinked, the sudden topic change taking her by surprise.

"I found mentions of it when I was going over the Special Unit's records with Martin. There are massive allocations for it in their budget, as well as several employees who, judging by the timing involved, were likely specifically hired for the project. Kurahashi is among them."

"What?" Her head jerked upward. "Then, that means…" What did it mean, exactly?

"The project is not recent; whatever they're doing has been going on for at least six years, while the Agawa case happened only a month ago. There is no direct correlation between the two."

"Then, the project is actually…?"

A deep crease formed between his eyebrows. When he finally spoke again, it sounded as if the words physically pained him. "I… don't know," he admitted, then added, "Yet."

She nodded slowly. "Hirota… lied?"

"Most likely, he isn't aware of the whole truth, either. What he was told is reasonable enough, and it probably has something to do with the project's true nature, at least."

"The defense material that you and Professor Davis prepared…"

"Is not a permanent solution. Judging by the numbers of their budget, the Unit has significant backing in the Diet and the ministries. It will stop them from taking unnecessary risks, but if something is necessary for their final move, they have enough support to push through anything they want. Our best hope is that whatever they plan has nothing to do with us."

It took a few minutes for the enormity of the moment to dawn on her. "Government backing…?"

"Precisely," he agreed. "It's difficult to tell to what extent, but either way, it spells trouble."

"This… this is insane. Are we in some sort of dystopia novel? Or some kind of twisted conspiracy theory… I thought finding out that ghosts are real was bad enough, but this is…" She put a hand to her head to stop the dizzy feeling that threatened to overwhelm her.

"Such thing have always been going on," Naru said indifferently. "They're just not usually visible to normal eyes."

"Like ghosts?"

"How sharp of you to notice."

"Ghosts," she echoed blankly. "Government conspiracies. What next? Aliens? Cowboys? A real-life, modern rendition of _Romeo and Juliet_?"

"Spare me the last two," he remarked dryly.

* * *

_November 22, Afternoon_

Pedestrians strode heedlessly past the young man standing in the shadows of the narrow alleyway. With the brisk autumn weather, no one paid a second glance to his dark coat or wide-brimmed hat that cast a shadow over his face. If they had cared, they might have thought it suspicious the way he glanced surreptitiously around the corner every few minutes, but it was a sunny afternoon in Tokyo, people had things to do and places to be, and the big city folk were already all but desensitized to the sight of a few suspicious youths skulking around the streets.

The young man's eyes focused on a charming high school girl and a similarly-aged boy of breathtakingly good looks exiting the station. (The additional descriptors were necessary, yes.) Eyes still locked on the two, he drew a small, black radio out of his pocket and pressed his finger over the talk button.

"Captain, the target is in sight. Target is accompanied by Codename: Final Boss. Over." He spoke in a low voice into the radio, and a crackle and a rush of static followed.

"Really? In that case, there's no need to worry. Good work, Lieutenant," came the reply of a young woman through the radio.

"Captain, you forgot to say 'Over,'" the young man reminded with a grin.

"Oh, right. 'Over.' Anyways, you can come back now. Or rather, hurry back, or Nar… Final Boss will be in a bad mood if he knows you saw him. By the way, he's not_ my _boss," she added. There was a brief silence, then the woman remembered, "Over."

"Details, details. Anyways, don't worry, Captain, it'll take them a while yet. They're… a bit distracted. Over." With that, Yasuhara slipped the radio back into his pocket and disappeared into the alleyway, taking the shortcut that Madoka had pointed out to him. Of course, the shortcut cut through quite a bit of private property, but he was confident that he could come up with enough of a tearjerker to bluff through if it came down to it.

Luck was on his side, as it always seemed to be, and he made it back to Madoka's apartment in good time with no interruptions. After hanging his coat on her wall and stuffing his hat into his bag where it was well out of sight, he gratefully took a seat in her living room and accepted the proffered cup of green tea.

"Excellent work, Lieutenant," Madoka greeted him. "Sorry, it looks like your help wasn't quite necessary after all. If Oliver had just _told_ me he was going to pick her up earlier…" She complained.

"Oh, no worries. I had time this afternoon anyways, and more importantly, I could never begrudge your company, Mori-san."

She snorted. "Are you starting up again? Aren't I a little too old for your target range, young man?"

"Old? You couldn't be talking about yourself, could you?" He asked innocently. "Because you are as refreshing as youth itself."

"Oh, I'm begging you, do that to Lin or Martin. Please. I want to see their reactions. 'Refreshing as youth itself…'" She shook her head. "Where do you come up with all of these lines?"

"One of the side benefits to a background in literature," he told her with a mischievous grin. "There's nothing like drawing on the wisdom of my betters, right?"

"How humble of you. As humble as an old fox," she remarked dryly.

"But even if I am an old fox, I could never match up to your feet in cunning, Mori-san," he said with a solemn bow of his head.

"First youth, now cunning, huh?" She laughed, sitting back in her seat. "Well, then, this cunning young lady would like to hear what it is you want from me."

"Oh? You noticed?"

"What else could all this flattery mean?" She pointed out.

"Noted," the student lowered his head in surrender. "I can't beat you after all. Those laboratory researchers… how much of their information are you allowed to divulge? Do you think they might have anything to do with this 'Project MT-02'?"

She shook her head in regret. "To be honest, even if I was willing to divulge personal information, I don't have much on them. Not their previous research, or the lab where they used to work. Frankly, the American branch of SPR is, in practice, as much an independent organization as they are a branch of the Society, so it's notoriously difficult to pry information from them."

"Even though you're in charge of the JSPR's relations with the other branchs?"

She grimaced. "They—or their sponsors—pulled strings. I was outmaneuvered. HQ ruled that since they were a laboratory unit, and I'm technically only in charge of field research, they could circumvent my permission and set up under their own jurisdiction. Furthermore, our SPR isn't officially associated with the Society, other than through me—we're technically an independent satellite office, so the Louens aren't required to report to us. In other words, they're completely free to do whatever they want."

Yasuhara tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Fishy, or just pushy?"

"It might just be pushy," Madoka admitted. "Japan is like an untapped gold vein, since the ratio of researchers to paranormal activity and undiscovered spiritualists here is minute compared to a lot of other areas. SPR has been itching to send people here for years, but we've always run into issues—language barriers, lack of permissions, etc. Doubtless ASPR jumped on this chance with the Louens."

Yasuhara nodded slowly, digesting the information. "And I suspect our fine government would like to tap into its own resources as well, hence this 'project' of theirs. You know… I've been thinking about it for a bit, but… why is it 'MT-02'?"

Madoka blinked. "What do you mean?"

"At first, I thought it was just part of a sequential filing system, like AA, AB, AC… and so forth. However, according to the boss, it's actually a huge, interdepartmental project with tons of funding, right? Projects like that are almost always named. In that case, what does 'MT' stand for?"

"Now that you say that… that is true, I suppose. Do you think it's important?"

"Probably not," he admitted. "I'm just curious, I suppose. Perhaps its name could give us more insight into the true nature of the project, or something like that."

She propped her cheek against her arm as she pondered. "To be honest, I don't think Hirota was misinformed about the goal of the project. In the long-term, what they want probably _is_ to bring paranormal investigation and application of knowledge under a more structured government program. When proposals are written for budget allocations for things like that, they have to stick with the truth, after all—it's only the details and day-to-day operations that they can take some liberties with."

"The details, huh…"

"I would guess so. I imagine that how they intend to gather approval for such a project isn't quite so innocent as 'solve more police cases.' After all, if you think about it, even if the Special Unit's case-solving rate jumped from fifty percent to sixty percent, it would hardly convince the majority of people that ghosts exist after all, or something, would it? How would you even convince people of something like that?"

Yasuhara laughed dryly. "If we go by the examples of past religions, it would have to be something extreme. A miracle, maybe? Natural disasters, or uncannily accurate prophecies, or resurrection, or something along those lines."

"A religion?" Madoka quirked an eyebrow. "Is that what this is now?"

"They say that metaphysics is at the core of all sciences, after all," he suggested.

"'They' say a lot of things, including, it seems, that I am refreshing as youth itself."

"I'll never hear the end of that one, will I?" Yasuhara said with a woeful sigh.

"Wait until I'm eighty—it'll be even better then," she told him cheerfully, then shook her head. "Though honestly, ever since this whole thing started, I've been wondering… is it really best for parapsychology to become widely accepted? Perhaps as a researcher of SPR, I shouldn't be saying this, but… how would that really turn out?"

Yasuhara tilted his head questioningly.

"I mean… In the first place, we don't even really know how far we can take things like psychic powers. Of course, PK has clear physical limitations—physical strain on the body—but we're still unclear as to the limits of ESP. There's 'implied effect,' of course, but that's more of a 'risk' than a 'limit.' Something like psychometry can be done from anywhere as long as you have the target's personal belongings. Sometimes I wonder, if Oliver had been a person with more ambition, what could he have done?"

"I see… A court lawyer with psychometry…" Yasuhara breathed, trying to envision it. "Or a spy, or a stock market investor, or a diplomat. My goodness, even if he'd been a simple hot-headed, hormonal teenager… I do see your point."

"I sense a bit of envy there, Yasuhara," Madoka noted with a snort. "But even Gene—imagine being able to speak any language at will, or to acquire the knowledge and talents of the entire range of the dead. They both chose the route that they did, but if they had been the type to exploit that for self-profit, or if those around them had tried to exploit them for self-profit…"

"As with any technology or human resource, commodification is inevitable, huh?" The university student folded his arms. "Of course, there'll be laws, and rights, and protections, and so forth, but it doesn't change the fact that psychics will be seen as little more than their abilities, especially since they're so rare. The gain for ordinary people might be positive, but it'll be at the cost of people like Takigawa and Mai."

"I can't help but feel that way," Madoka admitted. "Perhaps I'm getting old after all; I feel like one of those doomsayers who are afraid of anything new. But the truth is, it's sure to be such a huge change, and even if things work out well in the end, after ten or twenty or fifty years of adjustment… They're still so young, and the only thing they've ever done to deserve it is to be born with something like psychic power. It seems so unfair to put such a burden on them."

"No, I agree with you—although, I've been told that I'm rather like an old man myself, so I can't speak for your youth," he said wryly, "But you're right. Upheaval always follows change, and conflict always follows upheaval. Perhaps, in the grand scheme of things, it will be seen as progress, but that's small consolation for those who are personally suffering in the here and now."

"How poetic," Madoka noted. "I really do think literature suits you better than business. Of course, it's not like you don't have the skills for it, but it can't be good for your soul."

"Perhaps," he agreed a bit humorously, "But money is what makes the world go 'round, right? I'll need to be able to do a bit of world-turning on my own part if I want to be able to get anything done."

"You really _are_ an old man," Madoka said with admiration.

He winked at her. "I humbly accept your compliment. Picking up poetry when I'm retired doesn't sound like a bad idea, though." When he heard the lock click as someone turned the key, he lowered himself to one knee put a hand to his heart with a flourish. "By the way, while we're on the topic of our futures, Mori-san, may I ask you an important question?"

Mai's voice coming from behind the half-open door resembled something like a strangled duck being roasted over an open fire. "Yasuhara, what are you _doing?_"

He stood up and turned toward her with a nonchalant smile. She looked a bit more out of breath than usual, and Naru stood a few feet behind her expressionlessly, arms folded.

"Mori-san, I'm so sorry I'm late. I didn't mean to be—I, um, forgot the time a bit," Mai blurted out hastily.

"Oh, don't worry about it," Madoka told her brightly. "Actually, you look rather well right now. Did you feel tired at school?"

"Tired? Not much," she answered warily.

"She was asleep until a quarter of an hour after class ended," Naru cut in impatiently. "No indications of fatigue on the trip back."

"I always fall asleep in the afternoons," Mai insisted. "It's a dreadfully boring class."

"I see. I guess that was the point at which you entered the picture, Oliver?" Madoka mused, ignoring Mai altogether. "Judging by the rate at which she's been exhausting energy recently, I don't think a nap at school would have been enough to keep her this awake. As expected, it's proximity, isn't it?"

"It seems to be," Naru agreed. "It remains an untested hypothesis, but nothing so far has contradicted it."

"Contradicted what?" The high schooler demanded.

"Hormonal responses in adolescents—" Yasuhara began, but he was cut off before he even managed to get started.

"Most likely, being closer to Naru reduces the toll the channeling takes on you," Madoka explained loudly, speaking over the slightly put-out university student. "We think it has to do with the nature of Gene's existence."

"Memories," Naru said shortly. "All evidence points to the fact that ghosts are nothing more than memories. Sometimes, they might attract enough psychic power to influence things on the physical plane, or to imprint themselves on living people, but at heart, that's what they are. They're stuck in their state at death, and usually, the memories fragment, or absorb emotions from their surroundings. That's why, typically, ghosts can neither reason nor acquire new memories."

"But Gene can," she recalled.

Madoka nodded. "Most likely, Eugene's spirit is being fed by his telepathic connection with Oliver. That's why he's so complete, and why he's able to make judgments and absorb information. In some ways, he's more _alive_ than most ghosts—that might be part of why John's exorcism didn't work, either. Your body didn't recognize his presence as something 'dead.'"

"But… he doesn't have his memories right now, does he?"

Madoka glanced at Naru. "That's the key. Actually, to be honest, your symptoms are incredibly light for such a thorough case of possession. Normally, we'd expect to see more disorientation, stress, shock, fatigue… We think that the fact that Eugene _can't _remember is what's preventing that. As long as his memories haven't fully returned, you should be relatively safe from too many ill effects. On top of that, being physically closer to Naru strengthens the telepathic connection and allows Gene to draw from him instead of solely from you."

"I think I get what you're saying…" Mai rubbed her eyes tiredly. "Though, honestly, I don't mind sleeping more. It's kind of nice to have an excuse to, actually, and it's not like—"

"He can go to school with you," Madoka suggested.

"No," she said flatly, shaking her head. "No. No, no. Absolutely not. That would be a terrible idea on every level. You can't even imagine. I tried it once for—what, two, three days?—and it was a disaster."

"If you're speaking about the accident, that was your own fault," Naru told her dryly.

"Oh, well, there's that, too, but _before_, and _after_, and after that, too," she said vaguely, gesturing at the air above her as if she expected them to be able to see what was going on in her mind. "I didn't hear the end of it for a week. 'Why didn't you get Shibuya-senpai's number?' 'You should have asked for his address.' 'Are you sure he's not dating anyone?' Keiko and Michiru were bad enough, but people I've never _talked_ to suddenly became my temporary best friends."

"A week?" He raised an eyebrow.

"It's not something to be _impressed_ about, you narcissist," she snapped. "It was awful. I couldn't get a moment's peace."

"I didn't say anything."

"You _thought_ it," she accused.

"You're being paranoid."

"Am not. That's your job."

"In my case, it's justifiable precaution."

She scoffed, but he only shrugged. "In any case, I've already spoken to the principal. As I said, I told him you had condition due to injury at work, so he's agreed to let me stay on standby in one of the school conference rooms for the time being. If you're so adamant about it, there's no need for direct association unless an emergency arises."

Mai blanched. "You're kidding. Why didn't you say that earlier? But, I'm telling you, it's unnecessary, though. Like I said, I don't mind—"

"I suppose you don't mind falling asleep in the middle of traffic, either? You might recall that my idiot brother isn't particularly skilled at picking himself up off of streets." There was a sudden bitterness in his voice that made her wince. She could tell there wouldn't be any room for argument.

"Don't worry about it," Madoka reassured her. "It's not like we're on a case right now, so we have plenty of time. Why don't you go take a nap? Even with Oliver around, it's been a long day, right? You must be tired."

She nodded reluctantly and gathered up her things, retreating to her room with a mumbled farewell. Naru soon left as well, wordlessly, as always. When the room was empty again, Madoka turned to Yasuhara, raising an eyebrow.

"You're losing your touch for subtlety."

He sighed. "I suppose I am. It's just that watching the two of them drag on like this is so _frustrating._ You have to allow me a bit of fun, at least."

"Perhaps," she allowed, but there was a sharpness to her voice. "But you know that's not what I mean. You said they were distracted earlier. By what, exactly?"

The student hedged for a bit, but she only narrowed her eyes.

"Out with it."

Finally, Yasuhara relented with a sigh. "… She stumbled," he admitted. "I don't know if it was her injury or her condition, but… she almost fell into the street. You can imagine the rest."

Madoka rested her face in her hands wearily. "Cars?"

"None," he assured her. "They were all far away. I think it was stress that got him more than anything."

She shook her head. "That's true. Otherwise, there's no way he'd be so calm."

"Having Gene in her really isn't good for the heart, is it?" Yasuhara said thoughtfully. "For either of them."

"Definitely not," Madoka agreed.

* * *

**A/N**: Writing fanfiction more like writing awful, cheesy lines 101. I could probably kill it as a pick-up artist, but only if they gave me 2 hours and access to a word processing device beforehand.

At any rate, that's another chapter come and gone. Thank you all very much for reading and for all of your support! I might be repeating myself a little, but I really can't emphasize how encouraging all of it is.


	13. Chapter 13

_November 22, Late Evening_

"Now?" Martin asked in disbelief, the phone receiver pressed almost right against his ear as if that could somehow change the meaning of the words coming through. His face fell in the next few moments, and he heaved a heavy sigh. "I understand. I'll be back in three days."

Oliver's unreadable eyes fell on him as soon as the receiver was put back in its place with a _click._ Martin sank into the hotel bed, rubbing his eyes wearily. "There's been an emergency back at SPR headquarters," he said slowly. "Some of our negotiations have been breaking down, and it seems I'm needed there immediately. Luckily, we've finished going through all the material earlier than planned, but…"

"It can't be helped," Oliver said, no trace of emotion in his voice. Then, he hesitated for a moment. "Thank you… for your assistance. If there's anything I can do…"

Martin offered him an awkward smile. "If anything, I'm the one who's glad you asked. Please, do come back and visit soon, though."

After a long silence, his son gave a short nod, and he felt a rush of relief. Oliver didn't make promises just to go along with the situation; Luella would be pleased.

"And… Oliver, I know two years doesn't make it any easier, but… you should think about going through his things. Not now, or even soon, but someday. Please, you shouldn't let him be a painful memory forever."

This time, there was no reply. The room that had once been Gene's still hadn't been touched for nearly two years, other than for the occasional dusting that Luella still gave it. All of his things were just as they'd been left, along with the extra cardboard box in the corner. The twins had shared clothes and other things often, but even the things that Oliver had borrowed from him shortly before his death had been thrown into that box and left there.

"The memories aren't an issue," his son said tensely, his gaze averted.

Martin was quiet for a moment. "Is it because of your psychometry?" He asked softly. "I know you've had trouble controlling it sometimes when it comes to your telepathic link with him."

Oliver jerked his head away as he organized the papers in his hand. "There is no issue," he repeated, a hard edge to his voice.

The professor nodded reluctantly, knowing that pressing him wouldn't be of any use. "I'm sure you have things under control. Just don't forget that we'll always be here for you."

With another stiff nod and a murmured, "Good night," the young researcher slipped out of the hotel room.

It was nearly a half hour before he reached his own apartment. He glanced at the clock; it wasn't even eleven yet, but he wondered if he should sleep. It would be difficult to wake up early enough if he kept to his usual hours, and he abhorred alarm clocks.

When he became aware of himself again, the first thing that he noticed was that physics wasn't working properly. There was no visible source of light, yet his surroundings were a faint grey color. He didn't have any shadows at all, nor did any part of him look brighter than another. It had to be a dream, but he knew he was't a lucid dreamer.

_(Gene.)_ It was part statement, part accusation.

His twin's hazy form materialized somewhere in the fog, but his features were blurry and indistinct, like trying to see through water.

_(It worked.) _There was a hint of wonder in Gene's voice. _(I figured that if I could enter her dreams through your connection, I could do it the other way around, too.)_

He sighed. Gene had been ever the experimenter, willing to test all sorts of ideas without any guarantee of their outcome.

_(Careful. Your memories pull on our line. You might wake her.)_

There was no need to ask who he meant. A faint frown formed on Naru's face. _(You said the line was one-sided on her end.)_

Gene was silent for a minute, and he felt a pulse of guilt coming from his twin. _(I meant it the other way around. It's one-sided from your side to hers.)_

_(What?)_ Sharp eyes bore holes into his twin's ephemeral form.

_(She's aware of whatever I am, so she can feel emotions coming through the line from your side. I can't transmit hers to you in the same way—I can send her voice through, but that's it.)_

_(You let her—)_

_(She doesn't know yet.) _Gene assured him, and he could sense the truth in his words through their connection, as well as a hint of anxiety. _(But, Noll, I thought you were done keeping secrets.)_

_(I'm not keeping any secrets.) _He snapped. _(It's unconfirmed. Speculation at best.)_

_(It's the only reasonable assumption. Her need to warn you might have been the spark, but the glue for this channeling, the true point of synchronization, is our shared concern for you. In that case, it follows that eliminating that commonality would end the channeling. One of us needs to forget you.)_

_(There's no such thing as precise selective memory removal. It's too risky.)_

_(Noll, I've already told you. There's no need for precision.) _Gene's voice was soft. _(I'm _dead._ What use have I for memories?)_

_(How could you ask that?) _He knew the agitation he was sending into their connection was dangerously strong, but it had been too long since he'd had to worry about such a thing, and he couldn't seal it off well anymore. _(They're all that you have left!)_

Gene was silent for a minute. _(Selective memory removal is risky, but it _is_ possible. But… you can't ask that of her, either, can you?)_

Naru turned his face away. _(Time… I just need time. All we have are speculations so far. There will be a solution.)_

_(She still needs to know. This case is unprecedented; if we wait, there might be worse consequences.)_

_(I know.) _Irritation crept into his voice. _(Just… not yet.)_

_(She won't act as rashly as you think, you know. It's too important of a decision.)_

_(Importance can't be weighed until after the fact.)_ There was an underlying bitterness to his words.

_ (Noll.)_ Gene studied him closely. _(The rate of death by road accidents is on average less than two percent. You couldn't have known. You couldn't have done anything. It's not like you to dwell on something out of your control.)_

There was no response.

_(Even now, you're more concerned about the unlikely event of an accident than what might happen with the condition that she's in _right now._ Don't you find that contradictory?)_

Naru only continued to stare intently into the distance.

_(… I see.)_ Gene said finally. _(You think that no matter what happens, as long as it's related to psychic causes, you'll be able to fix it. I don't need to remind you that hubris is dangerous, do I?)_

_ (I know_._) _He snapped. _(You don't need to remind me.)_

_ (Noll, candles…) _Gene murmured in a gentle reminder.

_(I _know. _I _am_ considering everything.)_

He felt rather than heard Gene's answering sigh.

* * *

_November 23, Late Morning_

Arriving at Mai's school in the middle of classes allowed Naru to avoid the eyes of overly curious students. Whatever he might have implied, he disliked being the center of attention when it was for this sort of unfathomable reason. Or rather, he understood the reason theoretically—people were always drawn to new or foreign things, especially in a closed-off environment like a school. The pressures of studying and conforming to strict rules made gossip about a stranger a welcome diversion. He supposed attraction featured into that equation somewhere, too, but the issue had never made his list of concerns in the past.

He'd selected one of the smaller, windowless conference rooms near the center of the school to wait in. Had they been on a case, it would have been too small to function as a base, but it was perfect for his purposes right now. He piled the books he'd brought to one corner of the table, then flipped open his research notebook to a clean page, drawing three columns onto it. Facts, sources, conjectures. The hours ticked by slowly as he filled in the pages with lines and lines of hasty scrawls, and he eventually lost track of time.

An explosive _thud_ startled him out of his thoughts, and he looked up to see that Mai had thrown the door open and all but crashed into the room, some sort of bundle in her hand. After regaining her balance, she looked back to as if to check the hallway behind her. It was empty, but faded conversation echoed from somewhere distant. Seemingly satisfied, she closed the door again and slid to the floor with a sigh of relief.

"What are you doing here?" Naru asked, swiftly closing the notebook. It hadn't been an accusation, just a simple question, but she froze for a split second—though she seemed to recover just as quickly.

"It's all your fault, of course," she complained. "The minute lunch started, everyone who saw you yesterday wouldn't stop asking questions, so I had to escape." 'Everyone' was probably a stretch. Only half of them had seemed inquisitive yesterday, he recalled.

"So? You have plenty of options for your so-called 'escape.'"

She returned his statement with an accusation of her own. "You never told me which conference room you were going to be in."

"Was that necessary?"

"It was," she insisted, holding out the bundle in her hand. "Here."

He looked at it with suspicion. "That is?"

"Gratitude."

"Last time I checked, gratitude was an abstract concept," he said dryly.

"Oh, _fine,_" she told him, setting the bundle down on the table with unnecessary force as she sat down. After a moment, she seemed to regret the violence with which she'd put it down and probed through the cloth wrapping with her fingertips as if to check that it was still intact. "It's lunch. Madoka helped me make it this morning."

"I don't need it." He turned back to his pile of books and picked up the one on top.

"That's why I brought it. Since Lin isn't here, I bet you didn't bring any lunch, and I bet all you had for breakfast was coffee. Even if you're convinced that you're a god in human form, you still need to eat like the rest of us lesser beings_._" Mai folded her arms stubbornly. Clearly, she wasn't going to let this one go.

"I'm not interested in ingesting nuclear waste," he said flatly.

"Don't be rude! I can make _some_ things."

He gave her a sarcastic smile. "Instant food doesn't count as cooking."

"Hmph. If you don't take it, I'll tell Madoka that you described her cooking as nuclear waste."

A scowl formed on his face, and he relented with a sigh. "Fine. Later."

She grinned triumphantly and pushed the bundle toward him, glancing at the books piled next to him as she did so. The triumph immediately died from her lips, and gloom settled over her expression. "You would rather be back at the office working on your actual research, wouldn't you?"

Naru shrugged. "For theoretical work, the location is irrelevant. This case isn't completely unrelated to my research, either."

"But you're only interested in spirits, not psychic powers," she pointed out.

"Mediums are the point of intersection between the two subjects. Besides," he said with another sigh, "Exceptions often lead to scientific breakthroughs."

"But you still don't like them?" she guessed.

The corner of his mouth pulled down in dissatisfaction. "They also generally mean there's some sort of fundamental flaw in our current knowledge. If such a flaw exists, all of our current assumptions could be proven wrong."

"Even the things we've been basing our investigations off of?"

"Possibly. The problem doesn't lie with the exception, but with our flawed understanding of the world," he said, tapping a finger against the table absently. "It's inevitable that such cases will occur. Science is inherently uncertain."

"Hmm." She propped a cheek against her hand. "You really do enjoy research, don't you?"

"'Enjoy' isn't the word I would have used," he said wryly.

"You look happy whenever you're working on it, though."

"That's also not an adjective I'd apply to myself."

She snorted. "Fine. Content. Whatever." She fell silent for a minute, looking down at the swirls in the wood of the table. "You don't like all of this politics, though."

Naru shrugged. "Whether I like it or not has nothing to do with anything. It's reality."

"_I_ don't like it. Seeing enemies on every corner, wondering if everyone I meet wants something from me or has some sort of hidden agenda. Distrusting the people I'm supposed to have faith in to run the entire country."

"No," he agreed, almost to himself. "You wouldn't like it."

She didn't seem to hear him. "Naru," she said with sudden determination, "Why did you really come back to Japan so quickly? And you even deferred your admission to Cambridge. It wasn't just because of the office."

He blinked at the abrupt topic change. "Does that somehow displease you?"

Rather than answering his question, though, she simply continued on. "As I thought, you do prefer not having to deal with all of these distractions, don't you? And yet, all of these plots and conspiracies seem to come up out of nowhere the moment you came back. I wouldn't blame you if you wanted to leave…"

Pressing two fingers to his forehead, he exhaled in irritation. "Don't underestimate me. I wasn't so blind as to be unaware of the risks involved in coming back, and a few minor impediments aren't going to change my mind."

"They're not really 'minor,' though…" She said dubiously.

He only scoffed at that.

"… But I suppose, with your ego," she allowed, a smile creeping onto her face. "You really aren't planning to leave, then?"

"Sick of my company?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Always," she assured him with a grin, standing up just as the chime announced the end of lunch.

* * *

_November 23, Afternoon_

Halfway through her afternoon classes, one of the students helping out in the office informed Mai that she had a visitor waiting there, though she couldn't imagine who would want to visit her at school. _Naru?_ was her first thought as she hurried down the halls, and she was unable to stop her face from falling a little when she saw Hirota standing there instead.

"Good afternoon, Hirota-san," she said, trying her best not to sound like she was disappointed.

"Ahh… Good afternoon," Hirota returned with an equally strained smile. He paused. "I heard from your coworkers about your accident. I'm sorry I didn't get to visit—I had to go through a lot of meetings with the local police to try to get that cave entrance sealed off from the public for good. I can't help but feel responsible for taking you there in the first place, though."

An accident? Was that what Masako and the others had told him? "It's fine," she assured him. "You couldn't have known, and it was my own fault for being careless, anyways. More importantly, did you need something?"

The strained smile disappeared from Hirota's face altogether, and it was replaced with a troubled expression. "The truth is…" He sighed and scratched his head. "I thought for a long time about whether I should give you this, but…" He held out a folded piece of paper. "It's from our contact, the woman you met. She introduced herself as… ah…"

"She's a researcher from SPR, isn't she?"

Hirota looked a little startled. "You knew? Yes, that's right. She preferred to keep her name confidential, though I have no idea why. At any rate, she spoke to me after the case was finished and asked me to hand this to you."

Mai tilted her head questioningly as she accepted the paper, unfolding it. Unlike the scrawl in the black notebook, the handwriting on the message was neat and tiny.

_I need my journal back. My number is written here; call me when you get a chance._

_-Andrea_

_P.S. Don't trust the Special Unit or SPR_

She frowned and squinted at the note, rereading it several times to make sure she hadn't misread something. "Hirota-san…" she finally said slowly, "Have you read this note?"

He gave a stiff nod. "I apologize for intruding upon your privacy, but I considered it necessary in making the decision of whether or not to hand it to you."

"It says… not to trust the Special Unit."

He nodded again.

"Which… you're part of."

"Yes," he admitted, looking even more troubled.

"Are you… Are you feeling alright?"

He sighed. "Frankly, I don't want to believe any of it myself, but… Well, I didn't trust Louen too much at first, but after spending a few days back in the Tokyo office, I thought that there might be truth to some of the things she said. I'm still not certain what I plan to do, but I decided to at least follow her instructions and hand this to you."

"What kind of things did she say?" She asked curiously.

He smiled wryly. "No matter how I feel about them, they are confidential department matters, and I am still an officer, after all. I can't just go around indiscriminately shooting my mouth off."

"Right… I guess that's true. But you believe her? Enough to suspect your own department? I thought you didn't like spiritualists."

The investigator looked a little annoyed. "I still don't trust her completely, but I can't deny that what she said has merit. Seeing as she's demonstrated her credibility, I have no choice but to put some stock in her words."

"I see… I guess you are a pretty good officer after all," Mai remarked with a slight grin.

"What's with the 'after all'?" Hirota demanded, though he didn't seem truly mad.

"Nothing. Nothing at all. Thank you," she told him honestly, her fingers curling around the slip of paper as she headed back to her classroom.

* * *

_November 23, Afternoon_

It was a little bit surprising when she found Naru after school, still in the same conference room he'd been in earlier. Of course, he'd said that he'd be there, but for some reason, she'd half expected him to vanish without any warning.

When he saw her come in, he flipped the cover of the notebook he was writing in shut and started putting away the stack of books on the table. (Had he even used most of them? At least half were in the same position they'd been in at lunch, she was sure. Did he simply carry around piles of books to make himself look smart?) She noticed with a bit of satisfaction that she could easily read the covers of his books for now, though the atrocious mess that was his handwriting was still beyond her.

"Did you finish what you were working on?" She asked curiously, though all she got in reply was an ambiguous shrug.

"Your condition?"

"I'm fine."

"More specifically?" He asked, sounding a little impatient.

She looked at him dubiously. "I feel normal. How am I even supposed to answer that?"

"An hour by hour by hour breakdown," he suggested matter-of-factly.

"You're not serious."

"I don't have time for jokes."

She stared at him suspiciously for a few moments, but he still looked completely serious about the whole thing, so she gave in with a shrug of her shoulders. "I fell asleep for a bit at one, but they woke me up when Hirota came—"

"Hirota came?" Naru repeated sharply. "For what?"

"Oh." She shifted uncomfortably. "He was just passing on a message… But listen, I don't think he was—"

"A message from who?"

"Well… from that researcher, Andrea Louen…"

"What was the message?" Naru demanded. She sighed and dug the slip of paper out of her pocket to hand it to him. His eyes flickered over the writing briefly before he deftly folded the slip in half, and then again.

"Umm…" She interjected uncertainly when the slip of paper in question had been folded so many times that it was barely over a centimeter wide. He blinked and seemed to snap back to reality, undoing a few of the folds until the paper was a reasonable thickness again before returning it to her.

"Ignore it," he said flatly. "'Don't trust SPR'—it's a clear attempt to isolate you."

"But it warns against the Special Unit, too," she argued.

"A tactic meant to gain your trust. Which seems to be working," he added with irritation.

"She just wants her notebook back."

"So she says. It could be a lure."

"You're making things too complicated. Besides, Hirota trusts her," she said stubbornly. "It's _Hirota_, after all—he wouldn't do so without good reason, especially not if it means going against his own position."

"A parade of fools, then," Naru commented disdainfully. "Nothing good could come out of association with either of them."

"I'm not saying we should trust them unconditionally, but I did take her notebook without permission…"

"Mai," he said incredulously, "You were in potential danger, and your conscience is bothered by the fact that you took a notebook without permission?"

"That's not it!" She said emphatically. "But it seems like something important to her, and honestly, if I think back on it, I don't really know if she _did_ mean any harm. I mean, I was confused, after all, and I don't really remember it well… And aren't you the one who always insists on not jumping to conclusions?"

"Only if the evidence is insufficient to reach a decision," he answered acidly. "Whatever their intentions might have been, both Hirota and Louen have demonstrated on multiple occasions that association with them can prove dangerous. If a monkey is capable of inductive reasoning, surely you ought to be, as well."

"But the Louens _research _mediums," she protested. "If anyone can figure out a solution to all of this, it would be them, wouldn't it? Shouldn't we give it a try if there's even the slightest possibility that it could work?"

"Not if the risks outweigh the benefits," he said shortly.

"But we'll never figure anything out if we sit around scared of the risks all the time!"

"Then are you prepared? For the worst-case consequences?"

"Yes," she answered, meeting his glare measure for measure. He exhaled impatiently.

"You don't know what you're talking about."

"I do_,_" she insisted. "I'm not a child, and I know how to look after myself. The worst part is sitting around and crossing my fingers helplessly, you know."

Naru still wouldn't budge. "There are more productive things you could do instead."

"Like?"

He didn't answer.

"I know it might not work out, but what if it _does_? You can't possibly know the outcome of something without trying it, and this is about Gene's memories, too." She'd thought that at least the last argument would convince him, but if anything, he only looked more adamantly opposed.

"Mai," he said, a hint of urgency to his voice. "_Don't._"

It almost sounded like a plea, and she nearly hated herself for being unable to answer it. In any other situation, it would surely have convinced her. This time, though, she could only turn her head away in silence.

* * *

_November 23, Evening_

The high schooler looked uncharacteristically distracted when she opened the door that evening, and Madoka glanced at her anxiously. "Mai? What's wrong? Did something happen?"

"What?" She looked up, blinking, before shaking her head. "No, I was just thinking about something…" After hesitating for a moment, she handed over a slip of paper decorated with numerous creases.

Still puzzled, Madoka smoothed the now-crumpled slip and scanned it. Her puzzled expression deepened into a frown as she scanned it again, then once more. Finally, she lowered the hand still gripping paper tightly. "Where did you get this?"

"Hirota-san brought it," she explained. "It looks like he trusts her, so at least, whatever she said to him must have been convincing."

The researcher understood immediately. "You want to speak to her," she stated, concern in her voice.

"I do," Mai answered firmly. "I'm not being reckless. She wants her notebook back; at the very least, she wouldn't do anything that would jeopardize that."

"Mai…" Madoka said slowly, running her fingers through her hair distractedly. "You realize how dangerous this is, right? She's part of the reason you're in this state in the first place, and we still don't know what her motives are."

"I know," Mai admitted, "But we'll never know her reasons unless we talk to her."

Madoka sighed. "You've told Naru, I assume? What did he say?"

She shrugged vaguely.

"I see," Madoka commented dryly. "His concerns aren't unwarranted, though. You understand that, right?"

"But," she protested, "He could be wrong, too. We just don't _know._"

"Certainly…" Madoka relented. "And we are at a dead end as things stand. Perhaps it's worth a try. I'm glad you told me first, at least; I want to hear what she has to say as well."

"Thank you," the younger girl told her with a breath of relief. "Should I call her now, then?"

"No…" Madoka said thoughtfully. "I have a better idea. Why don't we pay them a surprise visit, personally?"

Mai looked at her in surprise. "You know where they live?"

The researcher laughed and shook her head. "No, but I do know where they work. And if they're anything like most parapsychologists I know, that's where we'll find them."

* * *

**A/N**: I think I am at a point with this and the next few chapters where I haven't a clue what I'm doing anymore. I do hope things don't get too weird.


	14. Chapter 14

_November 23, Evening_

Madoka ended up driving the two of them out to the lab that evening. Despite the fact that it was only a few miles outside of Tokyo, the trip took well over an hour. The lab itself was an unimpressive white, rectangular building surrounded by grassy fields and trees; it looked something like a giant cardboard box that had been discarded there.

After pulling onto the curb, the two of them made their way anxiously to the front door. It had been painted the same color as the rest of the building, but the paint was chipping away in some places, and the metal underneath was clearly visible. The doorknob gave some resistance, but it turned easily. Despite its aged appearance, though, the door didn't make a single sound as it swung open.

To her surprise, the inside looked more like a clinic or a tidy office than what she'd expected a laboratory to look like. There were no ominous, dim lights, no operation tables and strange devices, no scientists dressed in long, white lab coats and masks. Instead, the inside was well-lit, and the walls were freshly painted a soothing pale blue. Soft, spotless carpet covered the floor, and the waiting area at the entrance opened into a hall lined with windowed doors on each side.

One of the doors opened, and a familiar-looking woman walked out into the hall. She looked up, a trace of surprise on her features, then turned to another room and called impatiently, "Charles!"

A muffled voice from inside the room called out something like, "Just hang on!" She scoffed and gave the door an irritated glare before turning to Mai with a nonchalant smile.

"I wasn't expecting you here, but welcome, I suppose. I'm glad to see you're fine. Who's this? A relative?"

Madoka offered her hand. "Mori Madoka, field researcher at SPR."

As soon as Madoka spoke, a shade of suspicion fell over Andrea's face, and her sharp eyes flitted back toward Mai. "I did tell you not to trust SPR."

"Oh." Mai shifted her weight from foot to foot uncomfortably. "That's true, but Mori-san is… fine…"

Andrea sighed and tucked a few loose strands of dark brown hair behind her ear as she looked at Madoka. "So you're here as a personal acquaintance?" When Madoka nodded firmly, she finally relented, taking the offered hand. "Fine, whatever. You're here to return my notebook?"

"Well, actually…" Mai began uncertainly, "We can't really, not yet. I mean, we will, of course, but it's just that there were a few things we wanted to ask first, or rather…"

"First of all, are you busy this afternoon?" Madoka interrupted sweetly. "I'd hate to cut into your time if your schedule is tight."

"Not in particular…" Andrea said warily.

"How lovely," Madoka beamed. "In that case, is there a place we could sit and talk? Or, if you'd prefer, perhaps we could visit a nearby café and chat over tea. Any suggestions?"

Andrea sighed and gave a terse shrug. "Here is fine." Having spoken, she settled into one of the leather armchairs in the corner of the room. When Madoka did the same, Mai hastily followed suit.

"What lovely décor," Madoka commented, giving the room an admiring sweep, looking for all the world as if she were in a best friend's apartment instead of the laboratory of a potentially suspicious stranger. "You really have an eye for color."

"Charles' tastes," Andrea dismissed. "But enough about that. Let's get to the point. What do you want? I can tell you already that if you're looking for the second portion of his research, I don't have it." By the time she finished speaking, a dangerous edge had crept into her voice.

Madoka blinked, perplexed. "I don't know what you're referring to," she said soothingly. "That's not what we're here for."

"Oh, really? Then what?" Despite her skeptical tone, Andrea's face remained neutral as her eyes drifted toward Mai, who decided, after a moment of hesitation, to take it as her turn to speak.

"What were you talking about on the phone that night?" She blurted out. "What did you want with Naru and Gene?"

The sudden mention seemed to surprise Andrea. "What are you talking about?"

"The day after Hirota-san went to visit," she insisted. "You were on the phone with someone… Charles, right? You said something about 'potential' and spirits in the house…"

"Oh, that." The question barely seemed to faze her; Andrea looked at most a little irritated at most, if anything. "You heard that? Is that why you suddenly decided out of nowhere to jump out the window? It was a only simple sensitivity test, since you were going to be there for a while anyways.

"That's it?" Mai asked in disbelief.

She snorted in reply. "Of course that's it. Let me tell you, you nearly gave me a heart attack—I thought I was going to find a corpse, and I didn't exactly feel like being hauled to jail for murder anytime soon."

"But—"

"An unfortunate accident on all sides, it seems," Madoka interrupted lightly with a smile, the very picture of cordiality. "I'm glad we've cleared it up. While we're here, though would you mind telling us a bit about your research? I'm afraid I've never gotten a chance to hear much about it."

Andrea shrugged. "We measure stress responses during ESP usage, most notably during channeling. It's nothing flashy."

"Really?" Madoka tilted her head with interest. "What for?"

"To determine if there are any long-term effects. It's been confirmed that PK causes physical stress on the body. It would follow, then, that ESP might produce mental strain, wouldn't it? Does that stress have any lasting harmful effects? Even in the medical world, psychological conditions are among the least visible and least consistently treated, and that goes doubly so when parapsychology is involved."

"That's certainly true," Madoka agreed. "I'm a bit surprised, though, since it didn't seem to match with the research in your journal. Did that belong your father's?"

"It did…" Andrea answered cautiously.

"And it seems like you don't want SPR or the Special Unit looking at it." Madoka pressed gently. "Is that why you wrote that note to Mai?"

This time, she only shrugged ambiguously.

If Madoka noticed the discomfort in the air, she paid it no heed. "Well, at any rate, I do apologize for holding something so important; we don't have it with us at the moment, since we gave it to a friend for safekeeping, but we'll certainly return it to you the first chance we get. Actually, we came here because we encountered a case that we thought might fall under your area of expertise."

That seemed to catch Andrea's interest, and she raised an eyebrow curiously. "A case?"

"Yes, it's the first time I've ever encountered something like this; it's had us all baffled," Madoka said with a light-hearted smile, as if she found the whole thing quite amusing. "A client of ours has somehow gotten stuck in a possession, but the symptoms really match those of a channeling more closely; we suspect the client may be a latent medium, but as I'm sure you know, that's not our area of expertise." She didn't so much as glance at Mai as she spoke.

The topic must have piqued Andrea's interest as well, since she suddenly seemed to sit up straighter. "Really? What kind of symptoms? And what do you mean by 'stuck'?"

"Non-interpretive, level five-unclassified," Madoka listed off, tapping her cheek thoughtfully. "Class B and C tendencies so far, but possibly more."

"Five_-unclassified_?" Andrea repeated in disbelief, mounting skepticism in her voice. "You're certain? Can you bring the client in for an interview?"

"Unfortunately not," Madoka said smoothly, sounding genuinely regretful. "The client would like to maintain anonymity. From what I understand, it might turn into a high-profile issue."

She heaved a disappointed sigh. "A pity. And this 'stuck' part? How long as it been?"

Madoka weighed her answer carefully for a few moments before she responded. "A few days," she said finally.

Almost instantly, the color drained out of Andrea's face, and she stood up in alarm. "A few _days?_" She repeated with horror. "You're saying this client has bee_n channeling continuously_ for _a few days?_"

"The specifics are a little more complex, but essentially… yes."

She shook her head slowly, looking as if she were trying to wrap her head around it. "And exorcising didn't work?"

"It didn't," Madoka answered gravely.

"That's…" Andrea seemed to struggle for words for a few moments; finally, she gave up and let out another heavy sigh. "What about a way to sever the empathic connection? Do you have any leads?"

"Other than outright relying on traditional spiritualist methods, no. But naturally, that option should be left for a last-resort c—"

"Is your practitioner reliable?" Andrea interrupted seriously.

Madoka blinked. "Well, yes, but the curse itself—"

"Try it."

"Excuse me?" Not even Madoka could hide her surprise.

"Exorcism didn't work, and you have no other leads. This _is _a last-resort situation."

For a few, heavy moments, Madoka weighed the statement in silence. "That's your professional recommendation?"

The question got a snort out of the other researcher. "As much as any of us can be considered professionals, yes." Andrea's tone quickly became serious again, though. "I'm telling you—and your "client"—that this is no simple matter. Putting that kind of strain on the mind for hours, let alone _days _is far too big a risk. You need to end this, fast."

"… I'll take that into consideration. Thank you for your time."

* * *

_November 23, Late Night_

Her surroundings were a strange shade of grey. She looked at her hands, but they were an oddly flat color, and it took her a few minutes to realize why they looked so strange. There were no shadows, as if light was distributed evenly across every inch of her skin. Blinking, she looked around and spotted a familiar figure in the haze.

"Gene," she called, a smile lifting the corners of her mouth. If being possessed came with being able to see him more often, it wasn't that terrible of a trade, she supposed.

"How are you?" He asked warmly. "I hope it's not too bad. Your current state, I mean."

She shook her head. "Not at all. I just sleep a bit more than usual, that's all. Rather, I should be asking that of you—are you sure you're fine? Being kept back here and all."

"Honestly, I've never been better," he answered lightly. "It's much easier to think here."

"And your memories? Have you gotten them back?"

A troubled expression crossed his face for the briefest fraction of a second. "It's still slow, but they are coming back…"

Mai looked down at the grey expanse at her feet. "Does that mean we're running out of time?"

"A little," Gene admitted.

"I'm still not sure I get what it all means, though," she said uncertainly. "What was that woman talking about? A curse? Are there really no leads as to how to fix this?"

"Well…" he said slowly, "No… and yes."

"What do you mean?" She peered at him suspiciously.

He gave a helpless shrug. "The others can't find a solution because they've assumed the point of synchronization was the warning itself; that's impossible, though, since the circumstances that created the need for it no longer hold, yet this… situation remains. And channeling based on a circumstantial emotion tends to be unstable, anyways. In other words, the point of synchronization is something much more fundamental to you, something much more constant to your emotional state—and mine." He half-smiled.

She nodded blankly. "Which means what?"

"Since they have the wrong point, they're looking in the wrong places for how to eliminate it. But that's just as well, since there really _is_ no way to break the real point of synchronization… unless you can radically alter your emotions at the snap of your fingers."

"But what about hypnotism…?" She asked uncertainly. "Or, rather… suggestion, I mean…?"

"It wouldn't work. Suggestion only draws out what's in your subconscious already; it can't act completely counter to that."

"So then… how would a curse…"

"It would cut off the source generating the emotion driving the synchronization."

"Cut it off?" She repeated. "How?"

"By forgetting," he said simply. "Forgetting him."

She looked at him in disbelief. "Is that even possible?"

"Lin can do it. He says it's very difficult to pull off, but I've seen him use it once."

"Impossible…" She said slowly, her head reeling as she shook her head. A sudden thought struck her. "How long have you known?"

He shrugged apologetically. "We guessed fairly early on," he admitted.

"'We'? Naru knew? And he didn't feel like telling me something this important?" She demanded acidly. "I suppose I shouldn't even be surprised at this point."

"It wasn't too long ago," Gene assuaged. "He _was_ planning to tell you, but please understand… He's not any happier about it than you are."

She took a deep breath to still her fraying nerves. "It wouldn't permanent, would it?"

"For you… it would be."

"'For me'?" She echoed blankly.

"I could, ostensibly, do it as well," he said softly. "The condition is merely that one of us removes that commonality."

She frowned. "And it wouldn't be permanent for you? Why?"

"It's a possibility, since Noll and I are telepathically linked." He shrugged. "Besides, I'm dead. Who knows what space our memories exist in, really? The probability that they'd come back in one form or another is fairly high."

"But you don't know."

He laughed lightly. "What _do_ we know, really? How do we know what we know? Do I even exist? Do you really exist? Descartes' argument was shot full of holes decades ago, after all."

"You're changing the topic on purpose," she accused.

"I wouldn't dream of it," he promised. He hesitated, studying her closely. "You're scared."

She shook her head vigorously.

"You're shivering," he pointed out.

She scowled and pried her fingers from her arms, willing her shoulders to still; she hadn't even noticed the tremors. "I'm not."

"Now you're just acting like him," Gene remarked. "There's nothing wrong with admitting that you're afraid."

The accusation hit the nail on the head; she relented with a sigh. "… I am," she admitted. "I'm scared that nothing will be the same. That we'll be strangers again, or worse. Our first encounter didn't exactly go well." She smiled wryly. "Though, since I won't remember in the first place, I suppose it won't matter to me, anyways."

"You've misplaced several factors in that equation," Gene said mildly. "But it's all irrelevant. You don't have anything to worry about; it's only reasonable that I take the curse, since I have a better chance of remembering, after all."

"You can't," she said firmly. "It's too risky. You don't know for sure that you'll remember."

"Now you _really_ sound like him."

"He can't lose you again," she protested. "You have to know how much you mean to him."

"Every bit as much as he means to me," Gene affirmed, then sighed. "Too much, even, I think. We were always in each other's heads; it took separation for me to realize that we were far too dependent. We would have had to grow apart someday, anyways."

"But not like that! Not like _this_." She gestured at the empty space with vehemence.

"Trial by fire, I suppose," he remarked lightly. "But that's exactly why it can't be you. Don't you see? You're alive_._"

"Maybe so, but you don't understand…"

"You're the one who's not trying to understand," Gene said gently. "We're only delaying the inevitable; I shouldn't even _have_ these memories. And anyways, forgetting is part of the cycle of rebirth."

"But you don't even know when that'll happen! To be stuck here without even remembering the person most important to you—that would just be too awful."

"That's my decision, not yours," he said evenly.

"There's got to be another way," she said desperately. "You were an experienced medium, weren't you? Do you really not have any ideas? At all?"

He lowered his eyes with a reluctant shrug. "I don't know. I might have been able to pull myself away, but… since I don't have my memories right now, I can't say for certain."

"Do you really think so? Do you think I could learn how to do that?"

"In a couple of years, certainly," Gene answered. "But for this case… there isn't enough time." When her shoulders sank in disappointment, he sighed and continued. "Listen, I know it's unfair of me to ask this of you, but it's my only option. Tell Lin that I'd be okay with the… necessary actions."

"I can't possibly—"

"Please," he interrupted. "You don't have to say anything else. Just tell him that I'd be _okay_ with it. You can do that much, can't you?"

* * *

_November 24, Very, Very Early Morning_

The lights to the office were still on when Madoka pushed the door open wearily. She glanced at the young researcher sitting casually on the sofa with disapproval.

"It's the middle of the night," she pointed out.

Naru didn't even glance her way. "I didn't think you one to point out such asinine observations. Though, if you're going to argue over technicalities, it's morning."

"Why are you still awake?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You don't look asleep to me, either."

It was hardly an encouraging response, but she hadn't expected much else, anyways. With a heavy sigh, she sat down beside him to peer at the papers he was reading. "You're still looking for an alternative solution?"

"No" he answered crisply. "I'm looking for a _real _solution, one that's more than pure speculation—" Something about what she'd said made him stop, though. He turned to look at her sharply. "Why do you say 'alternative'?"

Madoka held up her hands in surrender. "Before you start getting all sorts of awful ideas in your head, I was there the whole time. There was no risk… Well, minimal risk. We didn't give any specifics—no names."

"To who?" He pressed, though she could tell that he knew the answer already.

She smiled vaguely but didn't answer, just to let him have the satisfaction of being right. And he might react a little less unhappily if he didn't have something to react to in the first place, she figured.

"Louen," Naru stated. Despite her precautions, his voice crescendoed ever so slightly–never a good sign. "You, at least, should have known better than to take sensitive information about such a unique case to another _researcher_, of all people."

"Goodness, Oliver, is that prejudice against your own occupation?" She asked amiably.

"Scruples are in short supply in this line of work when a potential breakthrough is concerned," he said acidly.

"If I had thought that was going to be the case, I wouldn't have divulged our predicament," Madoka assured. "I've double-checked everything she said. It's all true."

"Telling the truth and acting against our interests are not mutually exclusive."

"Oliver, you didn't see the color her face turned when we mentioned it. I'm don't doubt that she feels like she has some personal stake in this whole affair. I looked into it, actually; it seems like their father, Alfred Louen had to be hospitalized for psychiatric care more than once in his later life, though he was never officially diagnosed."

"So you're betting that empathy stemming from childhood experiences will be enough to counteract any desire for personal gain," Naru said cynically.

"If Mai had sensed any ill intent around her, she wouldn't have let me speak," Madoka said softly. "Surely you trust her judgment there, at least."

He looked away. "And?" He demanded sharply. "Did you actually find out anything worthwhile, or was it a complete waste of time?"

At the question, she let out a deep breath and looked up at the ceiling. "… I suppose it's a blessing that Lin has such a diverse set of talents," she said finally.

"So it was a waste of time, then." He turned his attention back to the papers in his hands. "If you've nothing else to contribute—"

"Oliver," she said with uncharacteristic firmness. "Caution is an admirable trait, but you can't let yourself be paralyzed by it, either. We just received a prognosis from an expert on the topic, and you still aren't satisfied. When will you accept that you've gone through as many possibilities as you possibly can?"

"When I have_._ The volume of sources on the topic is vast."

"Myths," she disagreed. "Legends. Rumors. Not real academic work."

"To deny the potential in folk tradition as a parapsychologist is laughable," he said tersely.

"Surely even you have to recognize that you're grasping at straws now. As much as I would love for a better solution to fall out of the sky—"

"Curses are unwieldy and unreliable at best. It would be foolish to rely on them as a solution."

"Lin is an expert, and besides, the original option might not be as bad as it seems," Madoka argued. "You could see it as your chance to redo things, without any mistakes this time—on your part, at least. Haven't you always wanted that?"

His answering glare could have frozen the whole room over.

"Alright," she retreated hastily. "I'm sorry. That wasn't fair of me. But you understand what I'm saying, right? If this were any other case, would you wait?"

There was no response.

"Look," Madoka said with a sigh, "I'm going to ask Lin to start making the arrangements tomorrow—today, rather—whether or not you agree. I'm not so unreasonable to demand that you take a active role in this, but I suggest, for your own peace of mind, that you come to terms with it before then."

* * *

**A/N**: Apologies for the unannounced absence. If you guessed that I hit a writer's block and subsequently decided to use all my keyboards as kindling and swear off the use of the English language for several weeks straight... you'd be absolutely correct. Having said that, with the school year starting up proper now, I'll have to juggle fanfiction writing with being attacked by sentient squirrels holding overpriced textbooks while ominously chanting exam dates, so updates may be unpredictable and slow in coming. Thank you in advance for sticking around and bearing with the absolute mess that is my motivation levels.


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